Schloss Unterdießen

Schloss Unterdießen stands on a ridge above the village in Upper Bavaria. Built in the 16th century on earlier foundations, it began as a fortress for the Welfs and later became a Renaissance schloss. The four-towered main building with its pitched roof still shows the scars of sieges and fires from the 16th and 17th centuries. After the Thirty Years’ War the Thurn und Taxis family took possession and rebuilt the complex. Today the site is recognised as both a listed building and an archaeological monument.

The journey is worthwhile because the castle embodies more than four centuries of Bavarian military and noble history. Destroyed in 1526, rebuilt, burned in 1589, ruined again during the Thirty Years’ War and restored from 1664, each phase left its mark. The Herren von Dießen started it, the Freyberger completed the present shape after the fire, and the Thurn und Taxis made it their seat. The castle’s layered past is preserved in every wall and tower.

Visitors find a four-storey main block with corner turrets rising above the village. The surrounding outer works include a biogarden on former farmland and half-ruined service buildings now being repaired. From the ridge there are wide views over the Lech valley and the Alps on clear days. Inside, restoration work continues to stabilise the historic fabric while keeping its medieval and early modern character intact.