Wildenstein ruins
Schloss Wildenstein was the only castle in the Inner Salzkammergut and is first mentioned in official documents in 1392. It undoubtedly was built far earlier than this, however, and served as the official seat of the imperial stewards of the Inner Salzkammergut.
In 1593 the castle burned down, but was rebuilt in 1601 as a place of refuge for imperial commissars from angry Protestant farmers. Using secret passages - the rock upon which Wildenstein is built is full of cracks and fissures and some caves extend far into the interior of the mountain - they escaped here through the mountains, with one underground passage even extending almost as far as Lauffen.
In 1715 the castle burnt down for the second time, and since then it has been left a ruin. Among the legends surrounding it are ones involving robber barons and a damsel in distress who awaits her saviour. It is also claimed that on Midsummer night and Christmas Eve the castle's dungeons mysteriously open, allowing the treasures inside them to be taken out. Some have ventured up there to see if this true, but no-one as yet has come back laden with treasure.
Getting there from the hotel:Walk along the Esplanade and Hasnerallee, past the covered tennis courts to the tourism college, then turn right towards Bad Ischl's local mountain, the Katrin.
From there walk 25 minutes uphill, partly along the lift route. (The route is signposted).
