Category: Castles & palaces

How to reach the Allerengelberg Monastery

Founded in 1326 by Carthusian monks, the Allerengelberg Monastery forms a dramatic backdrop to the picturesque village of Monte S. Caterina/Katharinaberg in Val Senales/Schnalstal Valley.

The monks inhabited its walls in peace and seclusion for over 400 years. With the advent of secularization under Joseph II, the Carthusian abbey in the Schnalstal Valley was closed in 1782 and the buildings converted into living quarters. The former Carthusian abbey has remained intact and is open to visitors year round. In the summer, guided tours of the monastery are offered.

The Silentium Project in the village of Certosa/Karthaus is dedicated to the concept of silence in keeping with the peaceful atmosphere. Art exhibitions are sometimes held in the old cloister, and a contemplative walk known as the Via Monachorum leads to the former abbey.

Opening hours: 
Visit of the monastery village: all year round
Art exhibition: mid-July to end of August
daily from 21 pm to 6:30 pm
Sundays and holidays also from 10 am to 12 pm

Entry fees: 
free entry

Contact:
Allerengelberg Monastery in Schnalstal Valley
Karthaus 100
39020 Schnals
+39 0473 679148

How to reach Castle Boymont

Location:
The remains of Castel Boymont are find on a rock and today it is famous for the panoramic view.

History:
Between 1220 and 1240 there was the heyday of the Tyrolean castle constructions and in this time Castle Boymont was built as well. Ordering party was a relative of the Count of Appiano. Especially in the 14th century the family Boymont played an important role. After them the Castel was in the hands of the Austrian Ulrich Kässler for a short period after he married the rich daughter Barbara of Boymont in 1413. In 1425 Castel Boymont was victim of arson and has not been rebuilt after that event.
Castel Boymont has not been build for a military reason, but it was more like a beautiful residential house.
After it changed the owner a several times, nowadays Castle Boymont is property of Fritz Dellago since 1977, who had it restored and consolidated.

Architectural style and characteristics:
The Castle has been built in the Romanesque and manifests typical style features of this époque. Interesting and not very typical are the clear and precise lines with which the rectangular construction was established.
The grand site is decorated with stone-framed arched windows, pillars and capitals. The main tower is in the Nord-East and in the Nord- West exists a smaller one. The chapel of the Castle is situated above the entrance.
A tavern is located inside the ruin walls.

Hiking:
Castle Boymont is one destination of the tour of Castles around Appiano.
Starting from Castel Korb it is a ¾ hour walk to Castle Boymont.

Opening hours:
March – November 2019:
Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
Mondays closed (except in October)

Price:
Information about the prices at the castle Boymont

Contact:
Castle Boymont
Hocheppaner Weg 5
39057 Appiano
+39 0471-636000

How to reach Runkelstein castle

Runkelstein castle impresses with its unique mural paintings, the greatest cycle of medieval frescoes with secular themes, well conserved.

The romanesque castle was erected by the brothers Friedrich and Beral of Wangen, Lords, in 1237. From this really favourable strategic positionn it was possible to contol the trade route to or from the North.

In 1385 Franz and Niklaus Vintler, two descendants of an old and wealthy merchant family of Bolzano, bought Castle Runkelstein. They were responsible for some restoration works in gothic style giving a more representative touch to the castle without loosing the defensive character.

The brothers built the socalled summer house located in the northern part of the castle. The family Vintler, especially Niklaus, had a good relationship to the sovereign of Tyrol and held some important functions and positions. They wheren’t noble, but with the possession of such a castle with splendid design and furnishing they could express their richness. They commissioned to decorate the western palace and the summer house with the frescoes.

In five rooms of the western palace you can see scenes of the daily of some nobles, for example a ball-game, a dance, a joust and hunting scenes. Especially the frescoes with the themes of a joust are fascinating: the knights in armour on horses with their heraldic signs.

In the summer house are represented famous literary themes of the medieval time: the tragic love-story about Tristan and Isolde and the story about a young knight named Garel of the Blooming Valley who lived at the court of King Arthur and his adventures.

At the outer wall of the summer house you can see the so called “Triaden”, scenes with the heroes of the antiquity, the Old Testament and the Christianity but also famous knights, some giants and gnomes.

Opening hours:
Summer (March 15 – November 1):
Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 6pm
Monday closed
Winter (November 2 -March 14):
Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Monday closed

Price:

Adults	8,00 €
Family (2 adults and 2 children)	16,00 €
Additional cost for guided tour	2,70 €
Reduced price (Students, Seniors of 65 years or over, disabled people, groups of 10 or more)	5,50 €
Scholars	2,50 €
Guided tours for school classes	14,50 €

Contact:
Runkelstein Castle
Via San Antonio 15
39100 Bolzano
+39 0471-329808

How to reach Fürstenburg Castle

Furstenburg Castle in Burgusio/Burgeis is a fortress erected in the 13th century on behalf of the Bishop Conrad of Chur (1272 – 1282). In the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. it was however restructured according to the style of the time. The oldest part of the castle is the tower which displays walls of a three meters thick diameter.

Opening hours:
Guided tours: July 1 – August 30 at 2pm
Opened on Mondays and Thursdays

Contact:
Fürstenburg Castle
Burgusio 7
39024, Malles
+39 0473-831190

How to reach the Forte Castle

One of the South Tyrols most magnificent fortress complexes, Forte Castle was built at the end of the 12th century and then enlarged and fortified in the 16th century. It has a stupendous
late-Renaissance hall in addition to a vaulted Gothic Stube. This is where the famous medieval poet Oswald von Wolkenstein lived.

Opening hours:
September – October
Tuesday – Sunday: 11am, 2pm and 3pm
Mondays closed

Price:

Adults	8,00 €
Children up to 14 years	5,00 €
Children up to 6 years	free
Students, Seniors of 65 years or over	6,00

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Note: Guided tours only
Free entry with Museumcard or Museumobil-Card

Contact:
Forte Castle
Burgfrieden-Weg 22
39040 Ponte Gardena
+39 0471-654401

The legends of the Dolomites collected by K.F. Wolff helped archaeologists find the forgotten Stetteneck Castle. In the summer of the year 2000 the remains of castle walls from the 13th century were unearthed on the Collina del Pincan (in the Val D’Anna), Ortisei, at the foot of Mount Balest. The Stetteneck Castle had only been mentioned once in a document from 1324 which explains why little is known about the castle. Adelheid, daughter of the Knight Gebhard von Stetteneck, was probably the last owner of the castle. Experts are trying to uncover more about the castle by analysing numerous archaeological finds unearthed during the excavation. Amongst the most important finds we have a Roman door.

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The ruins are currently closed to the public.

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Contact:
Dolomites Val Gardena
+39 0471-777777

How to reach the Peter and Paulus Parish Church

Parish Church in Sesto/Sexten The parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Sesto will impress you with its artistic masterpiece, the “Danse Macabre”, carved at the entrance to the cemetery by the South Tyrolean sculptor Rudolf Stolz. Peter and Paulus Parish Church in Sesto/Sexten The church was constructed around 1824/26 and hosts altar sheets by the Venetian painter C. Dusi. Ceiling frescoes and the Stations of the Cross are a masterpiece by Albert Stolz. On the well looked-after cemetery, are not only the graveyards of Sesto mountaineers, but also wood and sandstone sculptures by South Tyrolean artists. The frescoes by the painter brothers Ignaz, Alber and Rudolf Stolz are very impressive, whereby Rudolf Stolz also realised the beautiful “danse macabre” at the entry to the cemetery. Furthermore, you can admire a baptismal font dating back to 1650, and the beautiful cemetery with arcades.

Opening hours:
Monday-Sonday 8 am – 7 pm

Free entry!

Contact:
Peter and Paulus Parish Church
Dolomitenstr. 45
39030 Kiens
+39 0474-710310

How to reach the Parish church of San Candido

Church, the original parish of San Candido, which existed since the 8th century and largely encompassed the eastern Pustertal until the 12th century. It is the actual pastoral church of Hofmark Innichen, which belonged to the lordship of the Freising monastery until 1803.

After 1735, the originally Romanesque church was converted into one of the most important late Baroque sacred buildings in Tyrol. The painting is one of the main works of the painter Christoph Anton Mayr from Schwaz. The altars are the work of the cabinetmaker Josef Stauder from San Candido. The pictures of the side altars were created by Carl Jehle, the high altarpiece by Karl Blaas. The exterior, especially the magnificent west façade of the church, is a decorative jewel of the market centre.

Opening hours:
Open all year

Free entry!

Contact:
Parish curch of San Candido
Attostraße 5
39038 San Candido
+39 0474-913164

How to reach the Castle Monguelfo

At the entrance of the Val Casies valley there is the oldest castle of upper part of the Val Pusteria: Castel Monguelfo.

Castel Monguelfo – “Schloss Welsperg” in German – is located above the eponymous village and is undoubtedly a particular castle complex, known as “core castle”. One of the oldest parts is the high donjon dating back to 1126 AD. The brothers Schwikher and Otto von Welsperg had this castle built – the Lords of Welsperg were one of the most significant noble families of Tyrol. Due to their smart commercial activity and administrative work as well as their wedding politics, they built up a fortune and increased their importance.

For this reason, in 1359 Georg of Welsperg purchased the castle on the opposite, Castel Torre – Burg Thurn in German. Consequently both castles were in possession of the Lords of Welsperg. In the 15th and 16th century, Castel Monguelfo near the homonymous village was considerably enlarged and reconstructed. In 1765 there was a fire which destroyed parts of the castle complex, including the great hall and the commercial building. Despite of the fact that there were renovation works, the castle started decaying and has no longer been inhabited.

Today the castle, under administration of the board of trustees “Kuratorium Schloss Welsperg”, is venue for numerous concerts and festivities, but it remains the private property of the Counts of Thun-Hohenstein-Welsperg. The complex is also open to the public – several exhibitions are dedicated to South Tyrolean artists, such as Paul Troger, the well-known Baroque painter born in Monguelfo, or the contemporary artist Robert Griessmair who is famous for his faces carved on wood trunks. And how to reach Castel Monguelfo? It is located above Monguelfo (Welsberg) and can be reached in a 10-minute walk. The 2.5 km long Castle Path, a round trail, leads from the village centre past the castle. The extended version, the 6 km long “Big Castle Round”, however, takes you also past the above mentioned ruin of Castel Torre.

Opening hours:
September 17th to October 31st 2019:
Thursday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Entry fees:

Adults	3,00 €
Children from 6-12 years and seniors over 65	2,00 €
Kids under 6 years	free

Contact:
Schloss Welsperg
St. Martin 10a
39030 Val Casies
+39 0474-944118