Kalham Castle

The Kalhamers were a Salzburg ministerial family. Their seat was originally at Altenkalham Castle, which was located on a slope of the Heuberg near Salzburg. In the 13th century, the Kalhamers received the courts of Eugendorf and Kalham as a fief from the Archbishop of Salzburg. In 1260, the brothers Kuno, Konrad, and Heinrich built the new Kalham Castle without the permission of the Salzburg Archbishops Ulrich and Wladislaus. As a result, Kuno and Konrad were declared robber knights. In 1269, both were captured, but the Salzburg Cathedral Provost Friedrich von Walchen and other respected ministerials vouched for the two, and the dispute was settled.

The following years were marked by battles and raids by the Kalhamers on the Archbishopric. Archbishop Friedrich II von Walchen tried in vain to restore order. Ultimately, in 1275, he besieged Kalham Castle, conquered it, and razed it to the ground. Kuno and Konrad lost all their possessions and dignities; they were excommunicated. Their brother Heinrich came into conflict with the Archbishop in 1291 and was captured in 1296. In 1299, he gave up his possession of the desolate castle site of Kalham and the claim to the court of Kalham. In 1333, a Konrad von Kalham sold the castle site and court to the Archbishop. Soon after, the family is said to have died out.

Today, the site is overgrown with forest and covered with bushes. The moat of the castle hill is still clearly visible. During excavations in 1973, parts of the ring wall with a wall thickness of 1.20 m were found.