How to reach Churburg Castle
Churburg Castle rises above Sluderno in the sunny Venosta Valley between the Passo Resia and Merano: one of the best preserved castles in South Tyrol with the largest private armoury and a fairytale arcade walkway.
History:
We first encounter the name of the castle in a document issued by Bishop Heinrich on 21 February 1259 in “Curberch”. The name and the location of the castle at the entrance to the Matsch valley, where the reeves of Matsch had their ancestral castle, make it certain that the Churburg was the castle that the bishop had been allowed to build “frey unhindered” shortly before.
The buildings of the Romanesque period The oldest core of the complex consists of the keep on the hill side, the palace built south of it on a rectangular ground plan and the ring wall enclosing a spacious courtyard. After its destruction in 1358, only the foundation walls of the former front tower, called Pfaffeneck, along which the old castle path runs, were preserved.
The buildings of the Gothic period The complex retained its high medieval appearance until the early 16th century. With the change of ownership at the beginning of the 16th century, extensive conversions and new buildings began, such as the outer courtyard, the garden terraces and the kennel. Further residential buildings were added between the palace and the keep, grouped around a spacious inner courtyard, the first floor of which accommodates an arcaded corridor. The palace was raised by a firewall and provided with a battlemented wreath; an oriel on the south side and a late Gothic parlour on the ground floor were added.
In the 2nd half of the 16th century, the old castle was transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. The 18th century saw the construction and extension of the third palace floor as a guest wing with biblical wallpaper pictures and glazed tiled stoves. The staircase to the “Matscher Saal” replaces an earlier one, which had connected the arcade with the third floor of the northern wing.
Opening hours:
Guided tours only.
March 20- October 31 2019:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 12 o’clock & 2 -4.30pm
Guided tours every 15 minutes.
Contact:
Churburg Castle
Churburg 1
39020 Sluderno
+39 0473 615241