Schloss Ratzenhofen, Castle in Elsendorf, Germany

Schloss Ratzenhofen is a castle in Elsendorf featuring four wings arranged across two stories with a hipped roof and an inner courtyard decorated with arcade galleries. The structure displays a clear architectural organization with symmetrical elements and a fortified foundation.

The site began around the end of the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey castle of the Lords of Ratzenhofen, with parts of the moat still visible. In 1377, after a dispute, the castle passed to the Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut for 14,000 guilders. A fire on 11 November 1913 damaged the castle and chapel, both later restored.

The castle chapel is dedicated to St George and was consecrated in 1665; it burned in the fire of 11 November 1913 and was rebuilt. Its shingle-covered bell tower sits on the upper storey. The site also hosts local festivities such as the Hopfenzupferfest with the election of a hop queen, and a farmers' market.

The castle stands in Ratzenhofen, part of Elsendorf in the Kelheim district. The grounds host a wedding venue with a civil registry office, a beer garden in the castle garden, a farmers' market and the Hopfenzupferfest with its hop queen election. The former castle brewery, founded in 1864, closed in 1972.

The moat was fed by the Abens, but it has held no water since at least 1778. Around 1900 all four sides of the ditch were still intact and a drawbridge led to the castle; the fortified area measured 100 by 100 metres, with the raised core at 40 by 40 metres.