Mengkofen Castle

Already in the 13th century, the local noble family of Mengkofer, who were wealthy in Lower Bavaria and served the Wittelsbachs, are mentioned in documents. They were the landlords in Mengkofen until the beginning of the 16th century and founded the parish of Martinsbuch in the middle of the 14th century. Various estate owners bought and sold their property in Mengkofen, including in 1653 the noble family of Lerchenfeld, who were probably the most significant lords for the Hofmark Mengkofen in religious and spiritual terms: Baron Adam von Lerchenfeld founded the castle benefice with all outbuildings in 1716, built a new church in 1717, and established a school with a teacher, organist, and sacristan service. The lord of the manor initiated the foundation of the Sacred Heart Brotherhood, which was solemnly opened on June 19, 1735. Through marriage, the Hofmark Mengkofen came to the Counts Törring-Jettenbach-Gronsfeld, from whom it was bought on April 25, 1830, by Mr. K. Regierungsrat and Assessor Dr. Julius von Niethammer. In 1832, Dr. Julius von Niethammer also acquired the neighboring Tunzenberg Castle estate from the Lerchenfelds, distant relatives of the former Mengkofen lords of Lerchenfeld. Baron Ludwig von Niethammer, much praised for his humane nature and sociability, left Mengkofen and moved entirely to Tunzenberg.

The von Niethammer, later von Haniel-Niethammer, were the last large landowning noble family in our community.

The three-story castle with corner towers and stepped gables was rebuilt in 1842 after a fire. It was uninhabited for a long time and temporarily served as a refugee camp in 1945. In 1951, it was sold at a symbolic price to the District Office of Dingolfing with the condition that the building be handed over to the sisters of the Order of the Holy Cross, who had been expelled from Eger (Sudetenland). Since then, the castle has been used as a nursing home by the Order. The sisters still run a kindergarten today.