Wasserfall und Informationen zur Ruine Wartenfels

The two arms of the Baderbach plunge impressively and impulsively into the depths, especially after heavy rainfall.

The two arms of the waterfall are particularly impressive after rainfalls. Should you visit at such a time, allow the energy and power to wash over you by standing in the middle of a bridge, as one feels as if they are standing in the midst of the roaring fall. Emerging from the forest, a magnificent landscape stretches out before us: green hillside meadows, forests, and beautiful farms. In the background, the Schober comes into our field of vision, and at its foot lies the ruin of Wartenfels, which belongs to Thalgau. The former castle of Wartenfels was built around 1260. As its name suggests, it served as a border fortress. (Salzburg only became part of Austria in 1816; prior to that, our land was separated from Upper Austria by a state border!) Until about 1600, Wartenfels was the seat of the caretaker (Haas, p. 34), a high official appointed by the archbishop who was responsible as both judge and highest administrator, military and police commander for the entire judicial district. Probably at the beginning of the 17th century, the caretaker relocated to Thalgau, and from then on, the castle fell into disrepair. Before 1848, there were no local municipalities; the judicial district was divided into individual "Rügate" (from rügen = to judge, order). The Wartenfels caretaker's court included twelve Rügate: Elsenwang (the majority of our present-day municipality of Hof), Schroffenau, Thalgau-Dorf, Vetterbach, Thalgauberg, Enzersberg, Fischerweng, Thalgauegg, Fuschl, Faistenau, Tiefbrunnau, and Hintersee.