Schloss Wildenwart

Schloss Wildenwart stands high above the Prien valley in the Chiemgau region, near the village of Frasdorf. The present four-winged building with its corner tower and arcaded inner courtyard dates from around 1600. Beneath the moat of the earlier medieval castle a garden was laid out at the same time. The estate passed through several noble families before coming to the Wittelsbachs in 1862. Erzherzog Franz V. of Modena-Este and his wife Adelgunde, a sister of King Maximilian II, bought the property. The castle became a refuge for the Bavarian royal family after the monarchy ended in 1918. Ludwig III and his family first stayed here after fleeing Munich. Queen Marie Therese died at Wildenwart in early 1919 and was laid in the house chapel. After his return from exile in 1920, Ludwig spent the last years of his life in the castle. His daughter Wiltrud remained until her marriage in 1924, and later returned as a widow. Two of his other daughters, Hildegard and Helmtrud, lived in the castle until their deaths in 1948 and 1977. Visitors find a four-winged Renaissance palace arranged around an arcaded courtyard. The former moat now holds a garden laid out in the 17th century. The castle chapel still contains the places where the last Bavarian royal couple were laid in state. The surrounding park offers wide views over the Prien valley. The building remains in private hands, occupied by Max Herzog in Bayern and his family since 1979.