Ruine Karlstein

The Burgruine Karlstein stands on a steep rock 615 metres above the Thumsee in the Bad Reichenhaller district of Karlstein. A long metal staircase leads up the final section of the path to the summit ruin. Below the rock lies the Baroque pilgrimage church of St Pankraz, built between 1687 and 1689 on the site of an earlier medieval fortification. Archaeologists have found Bronze Age dwellings on the slopes and traces of settlement that may once have reached the present castle area. The Peilsteiner family, based in Lower Austria, erected the fortress shortly before 1150 at the request of the Archbishop of Salzburg. By 1208 the castle appears in written records and soon passed to the Duke of Bavaria. The site reveals why the journey is worthwhile. A round-arched gate from the late period survives, and inside the walls stands a square cistern that once collected rainwater. At the highest point of the courtyard a round tower from the early 13th century served as the bergfried. The chapel dedicated to St Andrew, with its recessed rectangular door, also dates from the castle’s first building phase. After centuries as a noble residence, the structure fell into decay in the late 17th century and parts were demolished in 1671. A thorough restoration in 2012 repaired walls, renewed plaster and stabilised the path. Visitors find a compact ruin with clear remains. The round-arched gate opens into the courtyard where the cistern and tower base remain. The chapel’s entrance and sections of the surrounding wall still show their original medieval form. The pilgrimage church below adds a contrasting Baroque element to the scene. The castle is one of seventeen sites on the Reichenhaller Burgenweg, a thirty-kilometre circular walk through Bad Reichenhall and its surroundings.