Schloss Waal, Castle in Waal, Ostallgäu district, Germany

Schloss Waal is a stately hipped-roof building with corner towers, built in the mid-16th century and remodelled in the mid-19th century and in 1907. Its west section retains remains of a medieval castle destroyed by Augsburg troops in 1397. The listed ensemble also includes a two-winged courtyard building with a gate passage, a brewery, a chancellery, an archive and a roughly 300-metre lime avenue.

The western section contains remnants of a medieval fortress destroyed by Augsburg forces during the Cities War in 1397. The estate was subsequently rebuilt and expanded, with its later architecture layered over these earlier defensive foundations.

Waal was the seat of a lordship held around 1800 by Franz Ludwig Reichsgraf Schenk von Castell, known as the Malefizschenk for his role in criminal justice. The castle is now the residence of the princely House of von der Leyen, and the estate includes a brewery building and a chancellery listed as protected monuments.

The castle sits in the Ostallgäu region and its various buildings and towers are visible from the perimeter of the property. A tree-lined avenue along the southeastern side provides a natural way to walk around the exterior grounds and observe the overall layout.

The lime avenue, about 300 metres long and planted in the early 20th century, is listed in the monument register as a protected element in its own right, alongside the courtyard buildings, brewery, gatehouse, chancellery and archive. It runs along the southeastern side of the park.