Seehaus Castle

Seehaus Castle with its late Gothic house chapel is located directly on the idyllic Weidsee, surrounded by a wide belt of reeds, in the middle of the Weidsee nature reserve.

Originally, Seehaus was a castle in the Middle Ages, owned by the Counts of Thann, which was transferred to Archbishop Rudolf of Salzburg around the year 1280. For the Archdiocese of Salzburg, the castle was of great importance as a watch post on the medieval "Lower Salt Road", which went via Waging and Altenmarkt to Wasserburg and further to Munich. From Seehaus, the transit of Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden salt could be well monitored and subject to tolls, which were of great importance for the Archdiocese.

In 1479, the cost office and patronal court were moved from Petting to Seehaus; the latter was abolished in 1804. Towards the end of the 15th century, the castle was converted into a small palace, which became a popular summer residence for the Archbishops of Salzburg.

Later in 1600, the then reigning Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau renovated the main building and transferred Seehaus Castle to his secret wife Salome Alt. The small palace passed into the possession of the Salzburg Cathedral Chapter after 1614.

The castle is now privately owned and therefore cannot be visited. Together with the lake, however, it offers a wonderful view.