Hohenwaldeck Castle (Ruin)

The castle lies high above Schliersee on a rocky mountain spur in front of the western flank of the Leitnerberg. To the east, a shallow depression protects the castle site. Behind the trench-like incision, the remains of a keep or residential tower have been preserved on a rock outcrop. Passing the well-preserved south side of the tower, one reaches the interior of the castle via a wooden footbridge.

The large bossed ashlar stones at the edges of the front tower indicate an origin in the late 13th or early 14th century. A precise dating would only be possible through an elaborate structural investigation, as bossed ashlar stones were also used in fortifications in the late Middle Ages and early modern period.

From the early 19th century onwards, all large bossed ashlar towers were mistakenly dated to Roman times. This misinterpretation persists in part to the present day. Thus, the information board at the front tower of the ruin also reports an alleged Roman origin of the wall remains.

The tower is still about six meters high to the south and east. According to Weithmann, traces of a high entrance are said to be preserved on the south side. The north and west walls are completely missing.

Next to the tower ruin, large parts of the surrounding wall made of limestone ashlar stones of various sizes and rubble stones have been preserved around the castle plateau. The ruins are still up to eight meters high. The walls are not broken by any window or light openings. It is not possible to definitively decide whether these are a curtain wall or the outer walls of buildings. The wall sections form an irregular rectangle that tapers to an acute angle to the north. The high rock ridge inside the castle probably partly dates back to the late medieval rockfall.

The western part of the castle has long since slipped into the valley. According to a plan by Adolph von Schaden (1832), the slope edges here were supposed to have been secured by further wall sections. At the time of the survey, however, the terrain here had already collapsed. The preserved narrow northern spur now serves as a popular viewpoint over Schliersee.

Since the late Middle Ages, no major renovation measures are likely to have been carried out on the castle remains. Nevertheless, the preserved wall sections are not acutely endangered. The outer shell of the surrounding wall is very carefully clad with limestone ashlar stones in layers.

Access to the castle was probably via the approximately three-kilometer long path from Schliersee, which is now used as a hiking trail. The supply of the fortress must have been difficult. The castle path climbs up to 1000 meters above sea level. In winter, the snow here is sometimes meters deep. The direct descents are steep and could at best be managed by lightly laden pack animals. However, the "normal path" was also not passable. Another problem was the water supply. Here, cisterns and meltwater were probably used. In addition to the difficult supply situation, constant rockfalls and landslides endangered the inhabitants.

The Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation lists the complex as a castle ruin with late Gothic finds under monument number D-1-8237-0003.

Since the late 20th century, some castle researchers have interpreted medieval castle complexes more as symbols of power and status than as actual fortifications. The spectacular location of Hohenwaldeck Castle 200 meters above Schliersee has also been interpreted as a demonstration of power by the Waldeckers against the Freising Archbishopric and the Duchy of Bavaria (Michael Weithmann). M. Weithmann even described Hohenwaldeck as a "failed hilltop castle".

Other historians, however, focus on the function of the complex as a refuge in the emerging conflict with the bishopric. An efficient siege of the fortress would have been difficult. The enemy troops could only have blocked and starved out the castle.

Equally difficult was an offensive defense by the castle garrison, which in the event of an attack could only rely on relief by allied units and the troops of the other Waldecker castles. Effective monitoring of the road to Bayrischzell was also difficult due to the high altitude. The difficult living conditions at Hohenwaldeck probably meant that the fortress was not inhabited all year round. In winter, the family's seat in Miesbach and Wallenburg north of the village were probably used.

Hohenwaldeck Castle was already very well secured by its location on the spur, which drops steeply on three sides. In addition, there was the considerable height of the surrounding wall and the strong front tower with its representative bossed ashlar cladding.

Like most medieval castles, the complex should probably be interpreted as both a defensive and a representative building and symbol of power. Meanwhile, the theses developed in connection with Joachim Zeune's power symbol theory are increasingly being critically questioned by research.