The impressive Castel Trostburg at Ponte Gardena in the Valle Isarco valley hosts the South Tyrolean Castles Museum.
Castel Trostburg or Castel Forte - “Trostburg” in German -, one of the most splendid castles of South Tyrol, is located on a natural rocky promontory above Ponte Gardena (Waidbruck). The history of the castle dates back to the 12th century - it was mentioned for the first time in 1173 as place of residence of a certain “Cunrat de Trosperch” (Konrad of Trostberg), descending from the Lords of Castelrotto. In 1290, the castle was passed on from the Lords of Velturno to the Lords of Tyrol, who put the castle in pawn. For about 600 years the castle remained in possession of the Earls of Wolkenstein-Trostburg, one of the main nobilities of Tyrol. In those times, the Mediaeval composer and poet Oswald von Wolkenstein grew up here (1377 - 1445).

Between the 14th and the 16th century, the castle was fundamentally enlarged and once more in the 17th century, under Engelhard Dietrich of the nobility Wolkenstein-Trostburg. In 1981, the castle was passed on into the hands of the South Tyrolean Castle Institute and thus was saved from decay. This institution strives for maintaining the special character of the castle and for making it available for public. Since 2005, Castel Trostburg has been hosting the South Tyrolean Castles Museum. Still today it is in a good state thanks to restoration and maintenance works.

There are Roman archways and arched windows, majestic panels and rooms dating back to the 16th and 17th century as well as mouldings of Renaissance in the interior of Castel Trostburg. Worth to be visited are especially the Gothic Stube with panels and richly decorated beam ceiling as well as the library, which is one of the most famous of its day. And how to reach Castel Trostburg? It is accessible only by foot. The Trostburg Path leads from Ponte Gardena (parking space) along a medieval paved path in a 15-minute walk to the castle. The Burgfrieden Path, however, is less steep but longer (30 minutes). Taxi Torggler in Barbiano offers also a shuttle service to the castle complex (phone: +39 0471 650004).

Castel Trostburg

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Between legend and reality it is said that here in castel Friedburg has stayed, among others, also the German writer Wolfgang Goethe, passing through Colma during his "Journey to Italy". It is true that, over the centuries, between the two gates of this ancient customs, erected in 1482 at the intersection of the Emperor's street and the Kunter road and active as such until 1829, transits sovereigns, dukes, popes, diplomats and personalities of every kind and of all Europe.

Today, arriving in Colma, about ten kilometers north-east of Bolzano, one can not but notice this original turreted building, with a white and red checkered façade painted by a crown of blackbirds.

After several changes of ownership, Schloss Friedburg now belongs to Adolf Gafriller who, while retaining the original architectural structures, has created a hotel.

The rooms are simple and simply furnished. The common rooms, on the other hand, are much more characteristic, with wood paneling, tables, chairs, antique inlaid dresser and period curiosities, such as a solid wood sled dating back to the nineteenth century. As in most of the castles and noble residences, on the first floor, next to the two larger rooms, there is a small family chapel, embellished by fifteenth century and still consecrated pictorial decorations.

Some common areas are available to host art exhibitions, meetings and conferences as well as wedding receptions and gala dinners, which can count on a quality restaurant service.

The castle also has a restaurant that combines the food and wine tradition of the area with the more typically Mediterranean, having a rustic and informal atmosphere where pizza is also served, cooked in a wood oven.

https://www.histouring.com

Castel Friedburg

La torre del Capitano (in tedesco Burghauptmannsturm) è quanto resta di castel Branzoll (ted. Burg Branzoll), costruzione fortificata duecentesca a Chiusa in Alto Adige.

Costruita dai signori di Sabiona, passò poi (1309) ai vescovi di Bressanone, che vi posero (nel XIV secolo) la sede del loro capitano (da cui l'appellativo).

Il castello, così come lo si vede oggi, è frutto di una libera ricostruzione avvenuta tra la fine del XIX secolo e il 1930. Di originale resta appunto soltanto la torre, l'unica parte della costruzione ad aver resistito al disastroso incendio del 1671, cui seguirono due secoli di pressoché totale abbandono.

Torre del Capitano

Castel Rovereto is situated on the top of a precipitous rocky promontory above the gorge of the Rio Nero in the hamlet of Sant’Osvaldo. It is located adjacent to the Pflegerhof farm, known in South Tyrol for its organically grown spices and herbs. Only few details are known regarding the history of the castle. Castel Rovereto has been mentioned for the first time in the 12th century, associated with the Lords of Aichach. After the last members of this family died after fierce quarrels with the Lords of Castelrotto, in 1741 the castle passed on in the hands of the Lords of Castelrotto. The reason for decay is, however, still unknown. Already in 1618 the historian Max Sittich von Wolkenstein reported from the “Ruin of Castel Rovereto”.

The complex is relatively small and only remains of the access side and the open tower are left. What is characteristic are its dovetail crenels, which are not typical for the architectural style of the Valle Isarco. Today inside the ruin there is a playground with slide and swing, accessible the whole year round.

https://www.seiser-alm.it

Castel Rovereto

Castel Sommo (in tedesco Schloss Summersberg) è un castello medievale che si trova nella frazione di Gudon del comune di Chiusa in Alto Adige.
Cenni storici
Il primo semplice nucleo del castello fu costruito nel 1202 dai signori di Sommersberg. Nella prima metà del XIV secolo la famiglia si trasferì però ad Albes, vicino a Bressanone. Nel 1329 il maniero venne quindi concesso a Giorgio di Villandro che lo ristrutturò trasformandolo in una residenza più adeguata.

Nel XV secolo il castello fu ampliato e nel XVI secolo raggiunse l'aspetto attuale.

All'estinzione dei signori di Gudon, il castello passò ai Trautson, poi ai Wolkenstein e infine, nella seconda metà del XIX secolo, allo storico di Innsbruck Ignaz von Zingerle, i cui discendenti lo possiedono tuttora.

La roccia sulla quale sorge il castello non è molto stabile tanto che negli anni '50 una sezione di 20 metri delle mura franò nel sottostante rio Funes.

Struttura
Nel cortile del castello è posto un gruppo ligneo del XV secolo della scuola brissinese che rappresenta la crocifissione di Cristo.

Il palazzo residenziale sorge accanto al mastio rotondo, peculiarità del castello. Risale al XV secolo ed è caratterizzato da trifore, erker e scale di legno. All'interno la sala di mezzo è circondata da varie altre stanze tra cui la cosiddetta "Bauernstube" con un soffitto a travi di legno.

Essendo una dimora privata non è visitabile.

Castel Sommo

Il castello di Velturno (in tedesco Schloss Velthurns) è un castello che si trova nel paese di Velturno (Feldthurns), sopra a Bressanone, nella valle Isarco altoatesina.
enni storici
Il castello fu eretto tra il 1577 e il 1587 con uno stile tardo rinascimentale dal vescovo Johann Thomas von Spaur, fu adibito lungo la storia, soprattutto come residenza estiva dei principi vescovi di Bressanone.

Nel 1978 la provincia autonoma di Bolzano ha acquistato il castello, e lo ha completamente restaurato.

Da visitare
Da marzo a fine novembre, visite guidate:

Affreschi e le opere di intarsio nel legno
Stanza dei principi (Fürstenzimmer) con i rivestimenti pregiati
Stufa ottagonale con stemmi familiari e scene dell'Antico e Nuovo Testamento 

Castello di Velturno

Prösels Castle (German: Schloss Prösels; Italian: Castello di Presule) is a castle in the Gothic style which stands on the high plain below the Schlern mountain, in South Tyrol. Prösels is a location within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Völs am Schlern (Fiè allo Sciliar).
History
The castle was first named in a document from 1279, as castrum Praesile and it is believed that the lords of Völs, feudatories of the Bishopric of Brixen, had built the castle here by 1200. Today the central palace with a Romanesque archway are surviving parts of this first fortress.

In Italian it is sometimes called Castel Colonna, reflecting the fact that around the time of Leonhard II the Völs (Fiè) family started to add the Colonna family name to their own. The reason for this is unclear, although a number of hypotheses have been advanced. According to some the family originated as a branch of the Colonnas who came to Tyrol in the twelfth century; others believe that Leonhard II, fighting alongside Marcantonio Colonna (1535–1584) at the Battle of Lepanto, was affirming his family’s origins in the Colonnas of Tusculum. A third version speculates that Marcantonio adopted Leonhard in order to enable the latter to display his membership of the noble Roman dynasty. Most probably, perhaps, Leonhard II simply requested and obtained the right to add the name Colonna to his own.

The Gothic castle of today was built by Leonhard of Völs (born 1458). He was the administrator of the salt mines of Hall in Tirol, a highly profitable position, furthermore he was married three times to wealthy noblewomen, which enabled him to spend extravagantly on the expansion of his castle. In 1498 Leonhard, thanks to his friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke of Austria, became governor of the County of Tyrol. Leonhard showed his gratitude by including the emperor on one of the frescoes in the newly built arcade of his castle.

During the Peasants' War of 1525 the castle was briefly occupied by the revolting subservient farmers, who burnt all the documents in the vain hope of destroying all proof of their debts and tithes. The uprising was squashed and six leaders executed. Leonhard of Völs also instigated the burning of nine local woman for witchcraft. To deflect blame placed on him by his subjects for a high infant mortality rate, Leonhard found nine women, had them tortured and after they confessed burnt at the stake for witchcraft. Most probably the high infant mortality was due to the farmers being starved and very poor owing to Leonhard's very high taxes. The woman confessed that they had "stolen the babies and ridden on their brooms to the Schlern where they had eaten the babies together with the devil." The many local legends about the so-called Schlernhexen (Schlern witches) date back to this time.

The castle remained in the hands of the family until its last member, Felix, Freiherr von Völs, died childless in 1810. For the next 50 years the castle stood empty and nearly fell into ruins. Between 1860 and 1978 the castle changed hands no fewer than 14 times, suffering periods of decay followed by attempted restoration before finally being abandoned to its fate. However, in 1981 the Kuratorium Schloss Prösels (Prösels Castle Curatorship) was formed to restore the building; the work was completed the following year.

Prösels Castle

Castel Regino o Reinegg o Reineck (in ted.: Burg Reinegg) è un castello medievale che si trova poco ad est del paese di Sarentino (BZ). 
Cenni storici
Il mastio e la cappella risalgono al XIII secolo - la prima menzione è del 1263 (castrum Sarentine) -, ma non sono da escludere costruzioni antecedenti. Caratteristica di questo maniero è il fatto che - nella sua conformazione originaria - il palazzo aveva un'unica grande sala, ornata da colonne gotiche. In questa sala si ha notizia di una grande festa per le nozze della figlia del castellano - signore di Velturno - con Alberto di Matsch, nel 1265.

Ancora del Duecento è la cappella dedicata a S. Giorgio (St. Georgskapelle) che vanta un affresco del 1250 ca., il più antico della valle.

La torre di ingresso merlata riporta gli stemmi della casa d'Austria e dei conti di Tirolo.

Dopo i Velturno, il castello cambiò più volte proprietà, così nel 1363 andò quale feudo asburgico al nobile Petermann von Schenna.[1] Nel 1635 fu acquistato da David Wagner di Bolzano, capostipite di una famiglia di commercianti, che dal 1681 si fecero chiamare conti di Sarentino (Grafen von Sarnthein) e risiedevano per di più nel castel Kellerburg a Sarentino stessa. Il castello rimase di proprietà dei conti di Sarentino fino al 1963, quando fu acquistato dalla famiglia Vergerio.

L'11 aprile 2015 parte della cinta muraria del castello è crollata improvvisamente. Il crollo è stato ripreso in maniera fortuita da due turisti di passaggio.[2]

La leggenda dell'assedio
Una leggenda è legata alla nascita del castello. Intorno al 370 un esercito barbaro stava saccheggiando e depredando i borghi della zona, e puntava su Sarentino. Gli anziani decisero di stipare la torre di viveri e far rinchiudere la popolazione nel castello.
I barbari, misero sotto assedio il castello, ma - nonostante ripetuti tentativi - non riuscirono ad espugnarlo. L'assedio si protrasse: i barbari speravano di prendere il castello per fame. Due anni dopo l'assedio però durava ancora, e gli assedianti (ormai a corto di viveri) sentivano giungere dall'interno del castello rumori di banchetti.
L'assedio fu tolto quando gli assediati scaraventarono giù dalle mura un bue arrostito. I barbari deposero le armi e si misero a coltivare i campi dei dintorni, abbandonati da tempo e nel frattempo cominciarono le trattative fra le due parti.
La situazione precipitò però quando uno dei barbari scoprì, scavando, la galleria attraverso la quale il castello era stato rifornito durante quei mesi. L'assedio fu immediatamente ripreso e la galleria ostruita. Poche settimane dopo, il castello capitolò, e pochi furono i sopravvissuti.

Un fondo di verità alla leggenda è dato dall'esistenza della galleria, che collega il castello ad un maso distante 600 metri, e dal ritrovamento di frecce con la punta in pietra in un fossato ai piedi della torre.

Castel Regino

The romantic ruin of Castel Rafenstein rises high above the city of Bolzano at the entrance of the Val Sarentino valley.
On a rocky hill high above the Talvera Gorge, at the entrance of the Val Sarentino valley close to Bolzano (Bozen), Castel Rafenstein - “Burg Rafenstein” in German - appears in conspicuous position. The complex was constructed in the 13th century by the Bishop of Trento Friedrich von Wangen in order to control the commercial relationship between north and south and in order to keep the sovereignty of Bolzano. As this is also where an important commercial road passed by, this castle in the Mediaeval and still in early modern times was rather significant. At that time, Castel Rafenstein was only composed of a great hall, a low donjon as well as a circular wall.

Only in the 14th century an outer ward, a bastille and a southern wing were added to the complex. In 1357, the castle was owned by Franz von Ravenstein. As his son died very early, the possession was handed over to the Goldegg family, thereon it was bequested to the Weinecker family. From 1500 to 1599, Sigmund Gerstl and Hans Wueff owned the castle, afterwards the Earls of Wolkenstein took it over. The most significant construction phase of Castel Rafenstein took place in the 16th century, when the Mediaeval complex became a late Gothic building. Only in the 19th century, when the Earls of Wolkenstein did no longer inhabit the castle, it began to decay.

After extensive stabilisation and renovation works in the last years, the ruin of Castel Rafenstein is now accessible again to the public. Closeby there’s a restaurant, named Castel Rafenstein Restaurant, offering homemade South Tyrolean specialities. And how to reach Castel Rafenstein? It can even be reached by car, but the road is steep and narrow and only recommended to those who are experts. On foot, however, the ruin is reachable from the road to San Genesio.

Castel Rafenstein

Castel Novale, detto anche Castel Ried (Schloss Ried in tedesco) è un castello senza molti elementi che lo caratterizzino come tale situato a nord di Bolzano, all'ingresso della Val Sarentino, ma nel comune di Renon.
Cenni storici
Dietro al famoso Castel Roncolo la valle si apre ad una piccola conca, subito dopo la quale torna a restringersi. Il castello si è servito proprio di questa conca, in passato d'importanza strategica. Nel medioevo le mura venivano bagnate dalle acque del Talvera, che oggi scorre a nemmeno venti metri di distanza. Castel Novale può vantare di essere uno di quei pochi castelli mai espugnati.

Il complesso venne costruito presumibilmente attorno al 1200 ed ampliato nel XIII secolo con abitazioni, serraglio ed una cappella. Verso la fine del XIII secolo il piccolo castello era in possesso dei Vanga: fu qui che si rifugiò Alberto Vanga, dopo aver perso tutti gli altri suoi possedimenti. Egli stesso lo vendette, a Ludovico di Brandeburgo, futuro marito di Margherita Maultasch, nel 1307.

Gli Asburgo d'Austria, i quali dal 1363 succedettero ai conti tirolesi, investirono del castello e il suo giudizio i loro funzionari, per esempio nel 1465 Lenhart Ortwegker, installato ym Rit bey Botzin.[1] Sempre per volere degli Asburgo alla fine del sec. XVI il castello ospitò fino alla morte l'ultimo voivoda della Valacchia, Pietro V lo Zoppo (Petru Șchiopul), sfuggito ai turchi e dopo la sua morte sepolto presso la Chiesa dei Francescani di Bolzano.

Oggi il complesso ben conservato è di proprietà privata e dunque non è visitabile se non eccezionalmente.

Castel Novale

Karneid Castle (Italian: Cornedo all'Isarco) is a castle in northern Italy situated in the comune (municipality) of Karneid in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 4 km east of the city of Bolzano (Bozen).
Historical background
A 20th century analysis of the castle by the historian Martin Bitschnau suggests it was constructed between the late 12th and early 13th centuries CE by vassals of the Prince-Bishopric of Brixen, an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire.

The fortress stands perched dramatically on an inaccessible cliff face above the confluence of the Eggental and the Eisack rivers, on the historically resonant ancient border between the kingdoms of the Lombards and the Bavarii. The name 'Karneid' derives from the Latin "cornus" meaning “horn”.
The legend of the ghost riders of Karneid
Many years ago a dreadful plague raged in the Tyrol. From his castle high on the cliffs, the lord of Karneid surveyed the devastation in the valleys below. Fearing for the safety of his wife, his children and his followers, he made a solemn vow that if God spared the castle from disease he and his followers would perform a pilgrimage to the church of Maria Weissenstein to give thanks to the Virgin Mary.

In the weeks that followed the plague gradually retreated and all those residing in Karneid escaped unharmed. There was much celebration and the pilgrimage was soon forgotten as people returned gratefully to their everyday routines.

But the terror of the Black Death soon returned to the valley and this time struck the castle, carrying off its inhabitants one by one. The knight's entire clan, his wife and his children perished. He himself was the last to pass, a year to the day after he had made his vow.

Every year on the night of the anniversary of their Lord's death, when the grapes have ripened on the vines in the valley, the cursed inhabitants of Karneid rise from their graves to fulfill their promise and perform their pilgrimage to Weissenstein. Many a pious pilgrim seeking shelter late at night has seen the Knight and his family dressed in black, slowly riding their skeletal horses up the mountain, doomed to fulfill their vow for all eternity.