Cultural heritage D-2-7540-0181 in Bodenkirchen

The remains of Rothenwörth Castle stand on flat land beside the Bina stream in Rothenwörth, a hamlet now part of Bodenkirchen in Lower Bavaria. The site lies about 130 metres east of the village church dedicated to Saints Simon and Judas. Archaeologists classify it as a levelled medieval castle mound with traces of outbuildings and earlier building phases. Written records mention a noble seat here before 1463 under the Pergkoffer family. Court documents from 1463 show how the estate was divided between two heirs after inheritance disputes. Ownership passed through many noble families: Griestetter, Stockhaimer, Auer, Herzhaim, Leublfing, Zeilhofer, Leoprechtinger and Soyer. In 1659 the Eisenreich barons acquired Rothenwörth, and their heir Joseph Franz served as a Bavarian councillor. Later owners included the Neuhaus family in 1684 and the Dachsberg barons in 1752. The Lerchenfeld family held the estate from 1799 until 1833, when Maximilian von Montgelas bought it. A patrimonial court was established here in 1820. Today a square two-storey building with five window axes and a pyramid roof stands on the site. The structure dates from about 1820 and remains in private hands. It is protected as a listed monument. Visitors can see the plain exterior and the quiet surroundings beside the Bina, recalling the castle’s long vanished past.