The first documented mention of Burg Reichenstein dates from 1208. Following this, the Burg Reichenstein was attributed to Ludwig III of Reichenstein between 1310 and 1320 for the protection of his territory and possibly as a customs station.
Since the 16th century, it has been considered a ruin and was destroyed in 1618 by its then-owner Count zu Wied when the Count of Sayn intended to acquire it. Since then, the ruin has continued to decay and was in private ownership until the 20th century. In recent years, the ruin has been managed by an association, and extensive restoration work has been carried out, including the establishment of the Walpodenstube, which can accommodate approximately 30 guests.
The castle can be visited at certain times, and festivals and events also take place in and around the castle. In addition to the foundations of the other castle buildings and a partially filled-in well, which was formerly 40 meters deep, the still towering ruins of a four-story residential tower give the ruin its characteristic appearance.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.