Lichtenberg Castle

Lichtenberg Castle, also known as Burg Lichtenberg, is a castle in Saalfelden, a market town in the Austrian state of Salzburg.

The exact time of the origin of Lichtenberg Castle is unknown; it was first mentioned in a document in 1281. At that time, however, the castle, which sits on a rocky outcrop of the Steinerne Meer about 60 meters above Saalfelden, must have already existed, as it is recorded that Archbishop Friedrich II von Walchen, after a dispute with the Kalhamer family, succeeded in handing over Lichtenberg Castle to his brothers Alberto and Otto von Walchen.

Just six years later, however, Archbishop Rudolf reclaimed this castle as an archiepiscopal fief. After 1290, after Gebhard von Felben withdrew his garrison from Lichtenberg, the castle was occupied by an archiepiscopal administrator.

From this period and thereafter, various documents record differences of opinion between Bishop Konrad of Chiemsee and the Archbishop of Salzburg regarding the legal claim to Lichtenberg. From this, historians conclude that the castle originated before 1228, but in any case under the Counts of Plain, i.e., before 1249.

From Lichtenberg, the Saalfelden-Lichtenberg administrative district was then managed by an archiepiscopal official. These administrators consistently belonged to the Salzburg nobility, such as the Thurn, Hunt, or Ramseider families.

In 1526, the castle was destroyed in the Peasants' Revolt, but then had to be rebuilt by the judicial community of Saalfelden. In the course of this, it also received the mighty round tower in the southwest and was almost completely rebuilt by 1580.

In the following years, indeed centuries, the castle fell into considerable disrepair. In 1699, the Archbishop wanted to shirk responsibility for its maintenance and simply assigned the castle to the regional authority responsible for military affairs. This authority objected (but only in 1747) at the Landtag.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the administrators moved their seat to the valley, and the castle served only as a dwelling for a hunter. It was not until 1791 that the order was given to begin renovating the building immediately. A side note: it was difficult to find workers who were not afraid of heights and could cover the roofs.

Not much was renovated, and so Lichtenberg Castle was auctioned on October 13, 1870. The opening bid was 3106 guilders, which corresponds to a current value of around 22,500 euros. Dr. Adolf Ritter Weiss von Tessbach received the bid for 8340 guilders. This finally saved Lichtenberg Castle from decay. Under the Tessbach family, Lichtenberg Castle acquired its present appearance. The family still owns the entire area today; there are no viewing opportunities or public access.