Wernstein Castle is a castle complex in the municipality of Wernstein am Inn in Upper Austria. The castle is located on a granite rock right next to the Inn; opposite, on the Bavarian shore, is Neuburg am Inn Castle.
History[edit | edit source]
Wernstein was first mentioned in a document in the 12th century and was built by the Counts of Formbach around 1126 as an outwork for Neuburg. An independent noble family was never resident on Wernstein, but the rule was always administered by Burgvögten von Neuburg. An Ortlof de propugnaculo (Ortlof from the Vorwerk) is mentioned in 1200, which was also called Ortlof ob der wer. From the Formbach family, Neuburg and Wernstein passed to the Counts of Andechs-Meran. As a dowry to an Agnes from this family, it came to the last Babenberg, Friedrich II, also known as Friedrich the Quarrelsome. After Agnes divorced, he had to return the property to the Andechs family. Premysl Ottokar II, who considered himself the rightful successor of the Babenbergs, occupied Neuburg and Wernstein by force in 1257.
Around 1355, Eberhard von Wallsee redeemed the Passau pledge on the castles. 1379 pledged Duke Albrecht III. the Neuburg and Wernstein to Otto von Zelking. In 1518 Emperor Maximilian I sold the County of Neuburg to Nikolaus Graf Salm. In 1654 the property passed to Count Ludwig von Sinzendorff. Then in 1698 there was a change of ownership to the Scottish Count Jakob von Hamilton and in 1719 to Count Carl Josef von Lamberg-Sprinzenstein. Through an exchange in 1731, the Neuburg came to the diocese of Passau; Bishop Dominik Graf Lamberg was the brother of the previous owner. Until 1803 (secularization of the Bishopric of Passau), Wernstein shared the ownership history of the County of Neuburg and then went into private ownership.
The ruined castle was extensively renovated between 1991 and 1993. It is now privately owned by Ernst Dietrich's family and not open to the public.