Wiesenfelden Castle

Schloss Wiesenfelden stands in the village of Wiesenfelden in Lower Bavaria, near Straubing. It began as a medieval castle first mentioned indirectly in 1105. Over the centuries it passed through many noble families—the Haybecks, Paulsdorfs, Schwarzenbergers, Nothaffts, Brugglachs and finally the Mägerls until 1865. In the 19th century the Counts of Otting-Fünfstätten enlarged and altered the building after a fire in 1648 had destroyed the old castle. The present three-storey palace was rebuilt on older foundations after the Swedish burned the site in 1648. The irregular ground plan still shows traces of earlier walls and the old farmyard. The castle is listed as a monument for both its above-ground structure and its buried medieval and early modern remains. It remains privately owned by Hubert Weinzierl, who turned it into an environmental information centre and natural history museum. Visitors find a compact palace with an unusual floor plan and remnants of its medieval past built into later walls. Inside, displays explain local wildlife and conservation work. Outside, the old farm buildings and surrounding meadows belong to the estate. The setting is quiet, on the edge of the village, with views across gently rolling countryside.