Harmating Castle

Harmating Castle is located in the hamlet of the same name in the Upper Bavarian municipality of Egling on a moraine hill at the edge of the Isar valley, which widens somewhat to the northeast at this point. The oldest parts of the castle probably date from the 13th century, and it acquired its current Renaissance appearance in the 16th century. As a historical monument, it is of particular importance because it has largely been preserved in its original condition, both inside and out.

The medieval noble seat was probably built in the 13th century by the Lords of Harmating, who were first mentioned around 1140, as a tower castle. Around 1300, it belonged to the Counts of Hohenwaldeck. Other owners included the Lords of Egling, the Lords of Ross, and the Tyrolean family of Tänzls von Tratzberg. By 1531 at the latest, Harmating came into the possession of the Munich patrician family Barth, whose members were granted noble freedom along with lower jurisdiction by Emperor Rudolph II in 1596. In 1681, they were elevated to the rank of baron. From the Barth family, who supplemented their name with that of the castle, came, among others, the Munich mayor and landscape chancellor Ferdinand Barth (castle owner from 1689 to 1705) and one of the first explorers of the Allgäu Alps, Wetterstein Mountains, and Karwendel, Hermann von Barth (1845–1876), who spent his childhood at Harmating Castle.

In 1941, the von Schirnding family acquired ownership of the castle through inheritance. Today, the writer Albert von Schirnding lives there with his family. The last comprehensive renovation of the castle took place in 2002.