Pottenburg Castle

The fortified building is first mentioned between 990 and 1025, when the land lost during the Hungarian invasion and then reconquered was resettled. The first owner and namesake of the castle was Count Poto, a son of Palatine Hartwig of Regensburg. However, in 1044 he sided with Duke Konrad of Bavaria, who allied himself with the Hungarians. Emperor Heinrich III suppressed the uprising and outlawed Poto, who lost all his possessions. The Emperor gave the castle to the Bishop of Eichstätt. In 1108, it was in the possession of another Poto, who came from the family of the high nobility of Asparn.

After the extinction of his family, Pottenburg became a princely fief in 1226, first granted to Heinrich von Brunn, the husband of Mathilde von Asparn. However, it was in Hungarian possession several times throughout its history. In 1343, Count Konrad von Schaunberg bought the castle from the Brunns, but had to cede it to the sovereign in 1351. In 1359, extensive renovations and extensions took place. Gamareth Fronauer, who had entrenched himself in the castle, had to be expelled by the imperial captain Ulrich von Grafenegg in 1460. When King Matthias Corvinus conquered Pottenburg in 1482, it remained in Hungarian possession for ten years and now served as a border castle against Austria.

After its reconquest, it was again administered by princely stewards and occasionally pledged. Around 1500, it was abandoned and no longer used as a fortress. In 1517, Emperor Maximilian I sold the lordship to Wilhelm von Zelking. In 1529, the castle fell into the hands of the Turks more or less without a fight. After their withdrawal, it is only referred to as a ruin. In 1544, the Zelkingers sold their property to the Lords of Walterskirchen. They are still the landowners today.