Hohenegg Castle

The castle is first mentioned in a document in 1140 with Hermann von Stein. He descended from the Counts of Poigen-Rebgau. In 1173, his son Count Gebhart first named himself after Hohenegg.

When the counts residing here died out around 1188, the fortress came into the possession of a branch of the Counts of Hohenburg. The last Hohenburg heiress brought Hohenegg into her marriage with Diepold, Margrave of Vohburg. Around 1210, the princely fief was granted to Rudolf von Pottendorf. In 1358, Reinprecht von Wallsee acquired the lordship, which he had administered by stewards. In 1463, Matthäus Spaur is likely to have carried out major expansions on behalf of the Wallsee family. The following year, he bought the complex.

In 1548, Christoph von Spaur sold the castle to Ludwig von Kirchberg auf Viehofen. In 1579, Knight Albrecht Enenkel von Albrechtsberg/Pielach acquired the castle and had it converted into a Renaissance castle between 1584 and 1594. However, it is likely to have passed to the Mamming family in 1606. In the following years, Hohenegg changed owners several times until Baron zu Hartenstein sold it to Countess Barbara Montecuccoli in 1631. Her husband Hieronymus was able to convert the previous fief into private ownership. Prince Raimund Montecuccoli had Hohenegg expanded again. He built the outer bailey and the seven-story bell tower.

Count Zeno Montecuccoli moved to Mitterau Castle in 1756, so Hohenegg was only used for occasional hunting stays. Due to the roof tax, his son Peregrin had the outer bailey demolished from 1787 onwards and later sold the roof tiles of the castle. The uninhabited castle was then left to decay. Around 1970, Anton Oezelt and Walter Schoderbeck began renovating the ruin. Numerous helpers participated in the restoration. The care of the Hohenegg ruin is now the responsibility of the Burg Hohenegg association.