Castle Saalhof

Maishofen, Austria, Austria

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Castle Saalhof (Schloss Saalhof) is one of the oldest and most historic manor houses in the Pinzgau region of Salzburg, Austria, located in the village of Maishofen near the road between Saalfelden and Zell am See. 

The present building largely dates from the early 17th century, when in around 1600 the then owners expanded and reinforced the property, giving it the appearance of a fortified manor, while renovation work in 2010 revealed that older foundations and wall sections from earlier phases remain embedded in the north‑east part of the structure.

Over the centuries the castle was owned by prominent families such as the Ammann von Judendorf, and in 1766 the famous Salzburg botanist Franz Anton Alexander von Braune was born there, while the adjacent Meier’s house (dating to 1686) served as the dwelling of the estate manager and later, in 1814, as Maishofen’s first school.

Since 1992 the entire complex of castle, Meier’s house, and a nearby path cross has been protected as a historic monument, and since 2006 the privately owned buildings have been converted into holiday apartments and guest rooms, operating as a working ecological farm with its own slaughterhouse and regional products while remaining closed to regular public visits except for incidental stays.