Emperor Maximilian I at Wels Castle

Wels Castle was first mentioned in writing in 776 AD. Originally, the castle consisted of a wooden structure with palisades and was only rebuilt into a stone fortress in the 12th or 13th century. In the late 12th century, the castle was pledged to Leopold VI, the Duke of Austria, and finally acquired by him in 1222. After the Babenbergs died out, the castle came into the possession of the Habsburgs. Under Emperor Maximilian I, who died there in 1519, the castle was remodelled in the late Gothic style from 1508 to 1514.
The core of the current complex (main building) dates back to the 11th/12th century. The castle was remodelled in the late Middle Ages to give it its current form. The Gothic ogival portals and the massive vaults were built between 1435 and 1441. Emperor Maximilian I had the late Gothic door and window jambs, the staircases and the larch wood ceiling on the upper floor added by 1514. The most impressive detail of this remodelling is the Renaissance bay window. In 1653, King Ferdinand IV gave the complex to his tutor Prince Johann Weikhard von Auersperg. The Auersperg family coat of arms is displayed above the former courtyard entrance on the west side. The east wing is an extension from 1865, which was only architecturally adapted to the main building in 1980. Today, Wels Castle houses part of the municipal collections, including the largest permanent exhibition of municipal history in Austria, covering over 1600 square metres.

Castle garden
The castle garden has changed its original appearance over the course of time, but it still radiates a special beauty. With changing flower arrangements, it invites visitors to relax and find peace and quiet. The castle garden is also used together with the castle as a setting for theatre and concerts.

Emperor MAXIMILIAN I (1459 - 1519)
Emperor Maximilian, one of the most modern rulers of his time, spent very little time in one place due to his political commitments and several wars. "The last knight" was in Wels much more often than his predecessors and successors. There were two reasons for his close relationship with Wels: he owned the castle and the Polheim family, whose members Wolfgang and Martin were close friends and confidants of the emperor. Maximilian often came to Wels on his many journeys and granted the town various privileges. He had Wels Castle remodelled and the town hall extended. At the end of 1518, the terminally ill emperor came to our town for the last time. Emperor Maxi thought that Wels was a good place to die. He travelled specially from Augsburg via Innsbruck to Wels, where he spent the last month of his life, severely weakened by numerous illnesses and a stroke.
Why Wels? Linz Castle, which he also owned, would have been far more spacious than the rather cramped and modest castle for an emperor. Historians believe that superstition may have played a role. Maximilian's father Frederick III had died in Linz Castle.
The room behind the magnificent bay window on the first floor of the south wing is thought to be the room where he died. However, he did not want to die as a monarch, but as an ordinary man and also wanted a simple funeral. Regardless of this, all his possessions in the castle disappeared shortly after his death. Some of it was probably taken by his courtiers. In the end, Maximilian even had to be buried with other people's money. He died on 12 January 1519 in Wels Castle. His funeral procession became the biggest social event (nobility, Archbishop of Salzburg, etc.) for centuries. He was buried in Wiener Neustadt.