Castle Wörthsee (Wörthseeschlössl) in Inning/Wörthsee

The castle was built in 1446 by Martin Katzmair whose grandfather Johannes bought the lake and the island in 1396 from the Greifenberger family (48.05756°, 11.169661°).

Popularly the small island is also called "mouse island". An old legend says that this is because hundreds of years ago at the chateau in Seefeld an earl was living which, although he called an immense fortune his own, was very hard-hearted. In no other area the peasants were as poor as here but the count squeezed out even the last of them.

One day a great famine broke out among the rural population but the count was untouched that his people had to starve on the streets. On the contrary, he made fun of those to whom it went bad and had nothing to eat, and hosted a lavish feast. On the night on which the binge took place, many of the poor assembled before the count's castle and lamented for help and food. The irascible earl fell into rage and ordered his guards to let the begging in and then to close the gates. Then the guards should lure the poor into a barn, promise them food and as this was done the count commanded: "Light the barn!". The guards did not believe their ears but they obeyed his command. The barn was set on fire and the poor were burned alive. They screamed and begged for mercy, and that the Count may save them from death by fire but he just laughed scornfully and replied: "You wanted that I release you from your hunger!". After some time, the wailing grew quieter and the Count said to his guards, "Do you hear the whimpering mice and rats? This vermin will soon be wiped out".

He went back to his castle but soon this was ravaged by a terrible plague of rats that could not be contained. Since the rats and mice even stole the Earl’s food from his plate he fled to his small castle on the island in Lake Wörth. Here, he thought, he was safe from the plague, but he was wrong. The rats and mice followed him to the island and there was nothing that could be done against the animals and so it came as it had to come, and the rats ate up the Count. Then, without any trace, they disappeared from the island and from the castle at Seefeld. Since that time, the island in Lake Wörth is also called "Mouse Island".

Today the island and the lake is the private property of the Counts of Toerring-Jettenbach - one of the oldest upper Bavarian noble families - and therefore not open to the public.