Schloss Fischhorn

Schloss Fischhorn in Fischhorn, Austria, is a medieval hilltop castle first built around 1200 and first mentioned in documents in 1227. Its origins lie in the high Middle Ages and the site developed into a residence and administrative center tied to the diocese of Chiemsee. The castle later received a 19th-century neo-Gothic makeover that reshaped its appearance, and it played varied roles in regional governance, wartime operations, and cultural history.

A fortified building stood here by the early 13th century. Ownership in the first decades is unclear; the local von Goldegg family likely held the site as a fief while other records associate the land with Baumburg Abbey in Upper Bavaria. Around 1216 the bishops of Chiemsee acquired the estate and the castle became a residence for those bishops and accommodation for the steward who managed the diocese’s estates in the Pinzgau.

In 1526 the castle was taken, looted, and set aflame during a widespread peasant uprising. The revolt was suppressed, leading ringleaders were executed, and the peasants were ordered to pay a large sum to Bishop Ägidius Rehm, of which only part was collected. The damage was never fully repaired and by 1602 outer walls were described as ruined, the main residential block uninhabitable, and roofs leaking.

Late 17th-century funding allowed repair and rebuilding, and thereafter the complex functioned primarily as an administrative hub, housing estate offices, a court, and the steward’s seat. During secularization the diocese of Chiemsee was dissolved in 1807 and ownership passed to secular authorities. While Salzburg belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria, the royal treasury occupied the castle; after the 1816 decisions of the Congress of Vienna, the imperial forestry administration used the site until 1842.

In 1859 the property was sold into private hands and shortly thereafter underwent a comprehensive neo-Gothic rebuilding commissioned by its new owners between 1862 and 1867. Much of that 19th-century ornamentation was destroyed by a large fire on 21 September 1920. The post-fire restoration was carried out in a much simpler fashion and the exterior and interiors lost many of the earlier decorative details.

During the Second World War the castle was confiscated in May 1943 and put at the disposal of the SS. From September 1944 the site served as one of 169 subcamps of Dachau, holding roughly 150 prisoners, predominantly Soviet officers. The complex was also used as an archive that contained, among other items, numerous personal letters of Adolf Hitler. In early May 1945 Hermann Göring was held at the castle from 7 to 9 May, together with his wife Emmy and daughter Edda, before being moved to a grand hotel in Kitzbühel.

After the war the property was returned to its former owners but remained empty for a long period and fell further into decay. From about 2000 extensive restoration work made the buildings habitable again. Since roughly 2007 parts of the complex have been used for exhibitions and concerts and portions have operated as high-end accommodation and private residences. The site is recorded as a protected architectural property.