Schloss Puchhof

Schloss Puchhof stands in the village of Puchhof, part of Aholfing in Lower Bavaria. It is a three-storey four-wing building with a walled forecourt facing the road. The present structure was raised after 1768 under Abbot Petrus Gerl, with plans drawn by the Benedictine monk Andreas Schleinkofer. The long wing projects on each side by two window bays, and the side wings carry apsidal projections through all floors. Low curved walls link polygonal three-storey turrets topped by helm roofs, creating a small enclosed court before the main entrance. The site carries layers of medieval and early modern remains, including a romanesque chapel in the south wing dating from the late 12th century. The chapel’s rectangular plan and thick walls survive intact beneath later additions. A round-arched gateway leads from the forecourt into the main courtyard, above which the abbot’s coat of arms is displayed. The wings enclose a rectangular space where agricultural buildings once stood, now used for the estate’s working farm. Visitors walk past the chapel’s plain exterior into its single rectangular room, lit by small windows. The stone walls and simple vaulting show the building’s age despite later overlays. Outside, the curved connecting walls and turret roofs frame views across the farmyard and park. The surrounding fields and outbuildings continue the estate’s working life, while the chapel remains a quiet witness to nine centuries of history on this spot.