Elkofen Castle

Elkofen Castle, also known as Schloss Elkofen, Unterelkofen, Ölkofen, is one of the best-preserved castles in Upper Bavaria and is located in the village of Unterelkofen near the town of Grafing bei München in the district of Ebersberg.

The hilltop castle, whose keep probably originated as a pure residential tower in the 10th century, was built in the 11th century by the Counts of Sempt-Ebersberg, who owned Elkhofen around 1000. Around 1040, "Ellencophan" was mentioned as a donation from the Counts of Ebersberg to Ebersberg Monastery. From 1382 to 1384, the castle passed to the Wittelsbachs, was seized in 1439 during the Bavarian House War, and went to Bavaria-Landshut in 1447. In 1506, the castle was sold to the rent master Wolf Lenkhofer, was owned by Hildebrand Kutscher from 1515 to 1585, and was owned by the Counts of Rechberg from 1664 to 1732, who built the Rechbergbau from 1665 to 1676.

In 1632, the Swedish army marched through the area as part of the Thirty Years' War, but due to its protected location in a valley and surrounded by forests, the castle is said not to have been discovered by the Swedes and was therefore spared destruction. However, this version is classified as a legend by the historian Michael Weithmann. He attributes the preservation of the medieval complex to the efforts of the long-standing owner family Rechberg.

At the end of the 17th century, the castle was converted into a hunting lodge, and in 1800, a park was laid out in place of the moat.

Since 1871, the hunting lodge has been owned by the Counts of Rechberg-Rothenlöwen, who had the Ludwig-Heinrichsbau built by Gabriel von Seidl in the former dog kennel in 1885. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the complex underwent new furnishings and restoration.