Pfleggerichtsgebäude

The Pfleggerichtsgebäude stands in Neumarkt am Wallersee, a small town in the Salzburg-Umgebung district. It occupies a row of houses along the market square, its plain two-storey façade marking it out from the surrounding buildings. The structure began as the seat of the local Pfleger, the Habsburg official who administered justice in the region. The building has witnessed centuries of legal and political history. A court had existed here since the 15th century, when the landrichter moved from Lichtentann. In 1607 the courts of Altentann and Lichtentann were merged, yet Neumarkt kept its court scribe. Visiting dignitaries included Duke Alphons I of Ferrara in 1545 and the English pretender James Francis Edward Stuart in 1717. Inside, the ground floor still shows the remains of the old stable with a ribbed vault supported by a central pillar. Upstairs, simple stucco mirrors adorn some ceilings, and a few rooms retain delicate cornice work. A low garden wall leads to a chapel dedicated to St John of Nepomuk. Beyond it, an octagonal pavilion has been restored and glazed.