The Grafenstein is the southernmost and most important of the 25 Austro-Bavarian boundary stones that are still standing on the current municipal boundary from Waldzell to Redleiten, Frankenburg, Fornach and Pöndorf. At the same time they form the district boundary between Innviertel and Hausruckviertel.
From 1437 to 1779 this was also the state border between the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Archduchy of Austria. In the Archduchy of Austria, Maria Theresa ruled with her son Josef II, and in Bavaria Elector Karl Theodor von der Pfalz succeeded Elector Maximilian III Josef, who died childless in 1777. This border was very controversial throughout the 18th century, a clear border was only agreed in October 1770 between Count Johann Ludwig II Khevenhüller von Frankenburg and the Bavarian district court Friedburg, whose custodian from 1762-1779 was Josef Ferdinand, Count von Rheinstein and Tattenbach.
After the border description by court clerk Johann Nißl from Friedburg, those border stones that had been in Forstern since 1601 were finally moved. The boundary stones have an engraved G.F. for Grafschaft Frankenburg on and on the Bavarian side is L.F. for the District Court of Friedburg. The coat of arms can still be seen on some of the stones. When the stones were set, they were only valid for a few more years as sovereign borders, because the Peace of Teschen ended the Bavarian War of Succession in 1779 and the Innviertel was awarded to Austria. Between 1805 and 1809 Napoleon Bonaparte occupied our homeland several times, from 1809 it was temporarily under Bavarian administration until the Innviertel finally became Austrian in 1816.
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