Ursprung Castle

The name "Ursprung" derives from the Middle or Old High German "urspring" or "ursprinc". The use of "ursprinc" was similar to our modern "source". Specifically, the name refers to the source of the Mattig, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the castle. The name "Hofmark Ursprung" is also attested for the estate. The designation as a castle is misleading, as it is actually a manor house.

The first documented mention of the estate, in the then spelling Ursprinch, occurred in 1122 in a document by Archbishop Konrad I, Count of Abensberg, as a peasant hereditary estate. It was only through the purchase of the estate on September 13, 1670, by the court and war councilor Augustin Friedrich von Hegi, that it was transformed into a manor house. Hegi acquired hunting rights and tavern rights for the areas of the estate, which at that time amounted to around 100 hectares. He also obtained permission for a brewery.

After the death of Augustin Friedrich von Hegi in 1686, Baron Johann Friedrich von Rehlingen married Hegi's widow. In 1707, after a fire destroyed the old manor house, he built Ursprung Castle in its present form. The alliance coat of arms above the entrance bears the inscription (translation from Latin): "This noble seat, destroyed by fire at the end of the last century, was rebuilt by Johann Friedrich Baron von Rehlingen in the year of salvation 1707." In 1773, an inheritance dispute arose, the settlement of which and the resulting harmony among the three brothers is still commemorated today by the so-called Three Brothers' Chapel a little south of Ursprung.

It was not until 1823 that the Ursprung estate changed hands again when master brewer Sigmund Hofmann bought it along with the brewery. 90 years later, the new owner Josef Sigl, who already owned a brewery in Obertrum that still exists today, ceased brewing operations. In 1930, the estate was sold again. The buyer was Paul Krennwallner, who established a model agricultural farm here. The former main castle now served as a residential building.

The current chapter of the castle begins in 1962 with the acquisition of the estate by the Republic of Austria. From 1965 to 1967, the Ursprung Federal College for Agriculture, which still exists today, was built around Ursprung Castle. At the instigation of the school administration, the brewery building with the integrated seat of Baron von Hegi was demolished in 1977; a parking lot was created instead. The castle appears to be in need of renovation today.

The south-facing castle itself has three floors, with a double-armed staircase leading externally to the first floor. Above this portal, the family crest of the Rehlinger-Gienger lineage, including a baronial crown, is still affixed today. The rooms behind it on the first and second floors formed the lord's chambers at the time, while on the ground floor, in addition to the bakehouse, the servants' quarters could also be found. A private house chapel is attested until 1716. However, this was abandoned in favor of an independent chapel, which was in turn demolished about a hundred years later.