Miltach Castle

Miltach Castle is located in Miltach in the Bavarian Forest. Begun around 1600 by Justinian von Peilnstein, the building was completed in its current form in the middle of the 18th century. Today, the castle is privately owned but accessible to the general public through tours and cultural events.

In 1572, the illegitimate son of Duke Ernst of Bavaria, Justinian von Peilnstein, received the Hofmark Miltach as a male fief from Duke Albrecht. Probably around 1600, Justinian had the core of the castle built, but his successor and over-indebted son Hans Georg had to hand over the feudal lordship over the village to Hans Georg von Weichs as early as 1616.

In 1622, Hans Georg Reitturnier von Schöllnach auf Hohenwarth became Weichs' successor, followed by Johann Wilhelm von Leiblfing, until Isak Heinrich von Schönbrunn gradually took over the Hofmark in 1679. Miltach remained in the possession of the Schönbrunners until 1849. In their hands, the building was also extended from nine to 13 window axes.

From 1849 until today, Miltach Castle has been in private ownership, which changed hands repeatedly. From 1871, for example, the well-known writer Maximilian Schmidt, also known as Waldschmidt, bought the castle. Later followed the art historian and collector Dr. Richard Edwin Oertel, whose valuable collection, stored in Miltach Castle, was finally auctioned by the heirs in Munich in 1979 for 5.5 million DM.

With Oertel's death, the castle changed hands for the last time in 1979 and came into the possession of the Schleyerbach family from Katharied near Beratzhausen. The by then heavily dilapidated building was renovated for years by the new owners and finally made accessible to the public in 1982.