Burg Tittmoning

Tittmoning Castle

Fortifications high above Tittmoning
The medieval castle towers over the town on a geographically advantageous hill, directly on the Ponlachgraben. Its strategic location on the spur of the terrain and a deep moat made it difficult to conquer. In addition, both castle gates used to only be passable via drawbridges.

In 1234, the Salzburg Archbishop Eberhard II documented the construction of the border castle against the Bavarian Burghausen. An archbishop's guardian administered the castle, the court and the county. In 1324, the town and castle fell to Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian through treason. They were only bought back three years later by Archbishop Friedrich III for 5,500 Salzburg pennies. The castle was further expanded over time. Around 1500, the mighty "Troadkasten" was built with its steep, brick-red half-hipped roof - the characteristic feature of the complex that can be seen from afar. The strong window grilles that protected the valuable grain from the Tittmoning treasury from unauthorized persons can still be seen on the facade.

Castle becomes a hunting lodge around 1615
The castle was badly damaged in the salt war between Bavaria and Salzburg in 1611. Archbishop Markus Sittikus probably commissioned his master builder Santino Solari (builder of the Salzburg Cathedral) to rebuild and convert the castle into a hunting lodge. The castle chapel, with the magnificent altarpiece by Johann Michael Rottmayr, was built in 1693 by Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf von Thun.
The name "castle" is no longer used today, and the fortified structure is referred to as a castle again.

Tittmoning becomes part of Bavaria
As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, after around 1000 years of existence, Salzburg's affiliation ends. Tittmoning became part of Bavaria for the first time in 1810 and then finally in 1816.
Parts of the castle and its surrounding land gradually fell into private hands. As a result of the purchase, the castle and the adjacent Ponlachgraben became municipal property from 1852. After various uses, the fortified building gradually fell into disrepair.

Museum foundation
The local history museum, which was set up by the Historical Society in 1901 in the cramped town hall, moved into the castle rooms specially renovated for this purpose in 1911. The use of the castle as a museum also ensures the preservation of this regional historical site.

On the orders of the Wehrmacht, the museum's holdings were relocated in 1940 and the castle was converted into an officer prisoner and internment camp. After the end of the war, the museum reopened in 1953 and was given a legal basis as a foundation 10 years later. Since 2004, a modern tannery exhibition has also been housed in the castle's grain bin. The foundation's name, "Heimathaus des Rupertiwinkels", was renamed "Museum Rupertiwinkel" in 2014.
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