To be privately owned
CastleVornbach
Vornbach Castle
Vornbach Castle is located on the Inn river in the municipality of Vornbach in the Lower Bavarian district of Passau.
It is presumed that Vornbach Castle was built on the remains of a Roman fortification, which was constructed to protect the connecting route between Juvavum (Salzburg) and Castra Batavia (Passau). The first Count of Vornbach mentioned was Tiemo I, Gau Count in Rottachgau, in 985. In 1040, he handed over the estates of Vornbach, Schärding, and Suben to his son Heinrich (also known as Hesso). Tiemo's niece Himiltrude founded a collegiate church next to the pilgrimage church "Maria am Sand" in Vornbach. In 1094, Vornbach was founded as a monastery by Count Ekbert I of Formbach and his wife Mathilde of Lambach, as well as Count Ulrich of Windberg. Count Eckbert II of Neuburg and Vormbach got into a dispute with his cousin Dietrich of Viechtenstein over the castle in Vornbach; Dietrich ultimately signed the foundation charter of the renewed monastery as Count of Vormbach (1120). With the reservation of retaining the title of Count of Vormbach, Dietrich handed over the castle to the monastery in 1127, after which both possessions were united. From then on, the history of Vornbach Castle temporarily ends, or rather, it is the same as that of Vornbach Monastery until March 26, 1803.
An inscription on the castle portal arch reads B A I F with the year 1638 and indicates a renovation of the monastery by Benedict I, Abbot in Frombach. The building of the monastery and later castle essentially dates from the period between 1642 and 1685 and was erected under Abbot Benedict Heppauer.
After secularization, the monastery, or now again castle, and the land came into the possession of Mr. Franz X. von Bachmaier, later to his son-in-law Eduard Baron Adrian-Werburg. From him, the property passed to Count von Joner von Tettenweis, who sold it to Emil Baron von Schätzler with effect from September 30, 1857. The latter had the rooms of the castle refurbished in the Renaissance court style and re-equipped the salons with armor and paintings. Under Baron von Schätzler, Carl von Effner also laid out the remarkable park of Vornbach Castle with a rock grotto and pond in 1859. A column at the entrance to the park commemorates Emil von Schätzler.
Present Day+
In 1939, Carl Ludwig Duisberg acquired the castle estate from Baron Paul von Schätzler, who died on December 27, 1938. The latter had acquired a dubious reputation as an escape helper for Austrian National Socialists. During World War II, the monastery served as a military hospital from 1944. In 1949, Hans Hahn became the new castle owner, followed by Gustav Adolf Hahn (until 2011). To this day, the castle belongs to the Hahn-Schindlmaißer family. The east wing is owned by the painter Arnulf Rainer. In addition, a number of other tenants can be found in the castle. The castle also serves as an event and exhibition venue.
The Vornbach Castle Park Festival was organized as a family festival for the third time in July 2011 by the Vornbach fire brigade, during which the castle park, which is otherwise not publicly accessible, is open to visitors. The "Reading in the Castle" by the district's cultural department during the Christmas season has also become a well-known cultural event.
A number of artists have or had their studios in the castle. Leopold Hafner maintained his studio in the old brewing room of Vornbach Castle from 1959 to 1967. Fritz Klier moved into the castle in 2006 and set up a studio with an etching workshop in the Hofrichterhaus; already in 1999, he had organized the exhibition "Augenblick, Herr Goethe!" in the castle as part of the European Weeks. The Austrian artist Arnulf Rainer also lived and worked at Vornbach Castle. The locally known painter Hilde Seyboth was not only born in Vornbach but also exhibited at Vornbach Castle in 1996 as part of the European Weeks Passau. Tonie Meilhamer also held the exhibition "ROMANTIK" at Vornbach Castle during the European Weeks Passau in 1997, and the late Ika Büger organized a summer academy at the castle in 1986. Madeleine Heublein had her exhibition "Mnemosyne" here in 2000. Further exhibitions were designed by the painters Hetty Krist in 1969, Antje Wichtrey in 1997, and Annette Lucks in 2000.
The castle and park are not publicly accessible. However, it is possible to arrange guided tours.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.4857, 13.4425