Schloss Haunritz

Schloss Haunritz stands in the hamlet of Haunritz, part of Weigendorf in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. It sits in the Högenbachtal valley alongside another small castle called Schloss Högen. The building has been owned by the same family for six generations and remains in the hands of the Brand family today. It is listed as a protected monument under German heritage law. Archaeologists have also identified medieval and early modern traces beneath the grounds, including remains of earlier structures. The castle began as an iron hammer in the 14th century, linked to local noble families such as the Haunrader and later the Pfinzing dynasty. By the late 16th century it had become a landed estate with lower judicial rights. In the 17th century the Wurmrausch family expanded the complex and added a distinctive round half-tower with a timber-framed gable. The central section was raised and renovated in 1719, and again in 1986, while the west wing was carefully restored between 2016 and 2020. Visitors enter through the east wing, which contains a gateway and two-storey plastered stone buildings under pitched roofs. Inside, an oak spiral staircase from the late 17th century rises through all floors to the attic. The central stairwell is open, allowing a clear view from top to bottom. On the uppermost floor a date of 1719 and the Wurmrausch coat of arms—a basket of roses—are carved into the outer wall beneath a window. The surrounding valley landscape and the restored wings give a sense of the site’s layered history from medieval hammer works to later noble residence.