Cultural heritage D-1-7434-0005 in Waidhofen

Schloss Schenkenau stands in the village of Schenkenau, part of Waidhofen in Upper Bavaria. It was a medieval water castle built between 1109 and 1135 by the Schenk von der Au family. The site includes traces of moats and earthworks still visible today. A Catholic filial church, St Nikolaus, once served as the castle chapel and dates from the same period. The church tower belongs to the 17th century, while the nave shows early 12th-century origins. The castle changed hands many times, passing from the Schenk family to Bavarian dukes and local nobles. In 1632 Swedish troops destroyed it during the Thirty Years’ War. After rebuilding, it was again demolished in 1812 on orders of its absentee owner. The estate became a patrimonial court in 1818 and later passed to the Törring-Gutenzell family in 1839. Visitors walk along the Schloßweg to see the former manor house with its 18th-century double coat of arms. The old church of St Nikolaus still contains its original furnishings. Remains of the water-filled defensive ditches mark where the castle once stood. The quiet lanes and fields around Schenkenau evoke the site’s layered past without modern distractions.