Berneck Castle

The origins of the castle are obscure. The castle is first mentioned in 1225. The Lords of Berneck are named as owners. Blasius von Berneck died childless in 1396, and the fief reverted to his brother Zacharias, whose marriage to Barbara von Laatsch also remained childless. The castle fell to Margareta, the daughter of the third brother Friedrich. She first married Viktor von Firmian and, after his death, Sigmund von Anneberg, who took over the castle in 1415. The Annebergers joined the noble party against Duke Friedrich and temporarily lost the castle, but got it back and sold it in 1435 to the Swiss Hans Wilhelm von Mülinen. Subsequently, the fief holders changed quite frequently. After von Mülinen in 1457, Hans Kripp bought the castle, and his son sold it to Hilprant Rasp zu Laufenbach. His daughter married Albrecht Rindsmaul, who sold the castle in 1488 to Christian Tänzl. In 1499, Emperor Maximilian exchanged the castle for Tratzberg Castle. In 1530, the salt lords of Zott acquired the castle from the Habsburgs, and from 1667 it was owned by the Fieger family. In 1699, it was bought by Franz Christoph von Rassler. In 1728, it came into the possession of the Pach family, owners of the neighboring Bidenegg Castle near Fließ. In 1932 (or 1934), the brothers Harald and Vitus Pach sold half of the castle each to Gottfried Knabl and Anton Kathrein. In 1961, Max Kathrein acquired the other half of the castle from Ida Knabl and sold the entire castle to Rolf Roland in the same year. In 1976, the Innsbruck architect Ekkehard Hörmann bought the castle.

As already mentioned, little is known about the beginnings of the castle. It is presumed that it was built by the Lords of Berneck at the beginning of the 13th century. The old castle was probably severely damaged during the conflict between the Annebergers and Duke Friedrich. Subsequently, it was rebuilt by Hans Wilhelm von Mülinen. After this expansion in the 15th century, it was one of the most beautiful and largest in the area. The use of yellow tuff stone for window and door frames, window crosses, corner quoins, and corbels is striking. Also noteworthy is the castle chapel, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, which contains important late Gothic frescoes. The Pachs took out another loan of 1500 guilders for a renovation in 1775, and in 1819 the complex was restored as a summer residence. From 1870, however, Berneck increasingly fell into disrepair, and in the 20th century, the decay progressed rapidly. Only the acquisition of the castle by Ekkehard Hörmann and the subsequent renovation from 1977 to 1983 saved Berneck from final decay. The renovation of the castle chapel with funds from the Munich Messerschmitt Foundation was completed in 1987.

Visiting Berneck Castle is only possible in summer. Guided tours take place on Thursdays at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and on Fridays at 11:00 AM.