Burg Waldershof

Schloss Waldershof stands in the small Upper Palatinate town of Waldershof, near Tirschenreuth. The building began as a medieval castle gifted by the Landgraves of Leuchtenberg to Waldsassen Abbey in 1263. Over the centuries it passed through many hands, including the von Hirschberg family, and was expanded into a schloss in 1471. After the secularisation of 1803 it served as the judge’s residence until later uses. Today it is protected both as an archaeological site and as a listed monument. The site is worth visiting for its layered history and the chance to see traces of a Ganerbenburg, a castle shared by multiple owners. The abbey’s abbots had to defend their rights against local nobles such as Friedrich von Waldershof and Friedrich Freiterspeck von Bibra. Archaeological work has uncovered medieval foundations beneath later structures. The building also illustrates how secular power moved from monastic control to state administration. Visitors find a quiet ensemble of stone walls and courtyards on Schloßweg. The oldest parts sit above buried medieval layers, while 15th-century expansions form the main block. The setting is rural, with views across the Upper Palatinate countryside. The site is recognised in the Bavarian monument records, linking present-day visitors to centuries of change.