Sachsengang Castle

In 1021, Emperor Henry II gifted a part of the Danube island "Sahsonaganc" to the Bavarian monastery Weihenstephan. Just nine years later, this area came into the possession of the Diocese of Freising. Around 1120, Adalbert von Sachsengang is first mentioned in documents as the initial representative of the family named after the castle.

In 1164, his sons Gerolt and Hartnit refused their feudal duty to the Bishop of Freising. Sachsengang became a princely territory, and Gerolt and Hartnit became ministeriales of the Babenbergs. Between 1412 and 1432, the Lords of Sachsengang died out. Around 1400, the castle belonged to Rudolf von Lassberg. In the 15th century, Sachsengang lost its strategic importance due to the construction of a Danube bridge near Vienna and changes in the Danube and its arms.

When Lassberg died, King Ferdinand bought Sachsengang back and made it his hunting lodge. In 1529, however, he ceded it to Niklas Graf Salm. Around 1550, it was reported that the buildings were already in poor condition. Only the two colonels Hanns Berchtold and Johann Provia began the restoration of the decaying buildings in 1574. In 1581, a severe earthquake, and in 1582, a fire caused extensive damage. Constant disputes between the two owners prevented proper maintenance of the castle. Although Maximilian Berchtold eventually managed to acquire full ownership, he failed to secure Sachsengang as an hereditary fief. When Emperor Ferdinand III put Sachsengang up for sale in 1655, it was already in a deplorable state again.

The new lord of the castle was Johann Konrad von Richthausen. He primarily engaged in alchemical experiments in Sachsengang. Already in 1659, he ceded the castle to Dr. Jakob von Thavonat, who came from South Tyrol and had the castle expanded into a palatial residence. His descendants still inhabit and manage the castle today.