The 10 most beautiful castles & fortresses in South Tyrol

South Tyrol, with its impressive alpine scenery, is not only known for its breathtaking nature, but also for its fascinating castles and palaces. These historical monuments not only tell stories from times long past, but also offer a glimpse of impressive architecture that will make the heart of any design-savvy traveller beat faster.

Taufers Castle

If you want to experience castles in an impressive medieval architectural style, Taufers Castle is at the top of your list. The architecture of this mighty fortress is reflected in its proudly towering battlements, colourful murals and spacious verandas. Perched on a hill above Sand in Taufers, it is a shining example of medieval fortress architecture. Its robust towers, rugged walls and precise stone carvings tell stories of rule and power. The castle’s interiors with their well-preserved frescoes and armouries allow you to experience medieval life at first hand. Taufers Castle, just a short drive from the centre of Sand in Taufers, offers visitors a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding valley. Its crenellated walls and complex interiors are an experience worth seeing for every castle lover.

The special residential character of the former dynastic castle in Taufers attracts around 70,000 visitors every year. Children enjoy the “armoury to touch”. Art lovers enjoy the Pacher frescoes and romantics the picture-book castle complex.

With special exhibitions and cultural events as well as a castle tavern in the inner courtyard, the South Tyrolean Castle Institute would like to encourage both holiday guests and locals to visit Taufers Castle.

Taufers Castle was purchased by the South Tyrolean Castle Institute in 1977. Since then, conservation measures have been carried out on this testimony to the culture of the region so that Taufers Castle can be appreciated as a monument to art and lived as a building of history.

Hofburg Brixen

The Hofburg in Brixen, residence of the bishops of Brixen since the 13th century, bears witness to a rich history. After the transfer of the bishop’s seat to Bolzano in 1973, the Hofburg was converted into a prestigious building with the Diocesan Museum, the Nativity Museum and the Diocesan Archives. The Renaissance courtyard makes the Hofburg one of the most charming architectural monuments in South Tyrol.

Under Prince-Bishop Cardinal Andreas of Austria, a comprehensive architectural remodelling took place in 1595, but the ambitious concept of a four-winged complex with terracotta sculptures of the Habsburg family tree remained unfinished. It was not until 1711, under Prince-Bishop Kaspar Ignaz Graf Künigl, that the Hofburg received its current appearance as a Renaissance and Baroque building. A white Ratschings marble fountain by Franz Kehrer has adorned the inner courtyard since November 2016.

The Court Church is an impressive Baroque hall with frescoes by Kaspar Waldmann from 1708 and is integrated into the museum tours on the first floor via a gallery. Until secularisation in 1803, the Hofburg housed the offices of the Court Council, including the preserved waiting room and council chamber from 1606.

The rooms in the imperial wing, built at the beginning of the 18th century, are particularly splendid, with ceiling frescoes, stucco work, Venetian silk wallpaper and majolica stoves. Little of the original furnishings of the bishop’s wing have been preserved, but the living rooms with historical furniture provide an insight into the living culture of the bishops.

Churburg Castle

Churburg Castle, whose oldest core dates back to the 13th century, is a typical medieval fortress. The curtain wall with battlements surrounds a spacious inner courtyard, flanked by a free-standing keep and a two-storey palas. In addition to the historic structure, a Romanesque-style castle chapel and a front tower, known as the Pfaffeneck, complete the overall picture. The front tower was destroyed during the Matsch family feud, but was rebuilt in the first half of the 16th century.

In the 16th century, the Counts of Trapp took over Churburg Castle and carried out extensive remodelling and extensions. The defences were extended, living quarters were modernised and an outer courtyard with kennels was added. The historic centre was given an arcade and further residential buildings. In the 16th century, the castle was converted into a magnificent Renaissance palace. The arcade was completed with a programme of columns, rooms were decorated in the Renaissance style and the Chapel of St James was built. In the 18th century, the Churburg castle was finally completed with an elevation of the palace in Baroque style and the construction of the “Matscher Saal”. The new rooms were characterised by biblical wallpaper paintings and glazed tiled stoves. Around 1800, a castellan’s flat was added, which connected the storerooms and the bell tower with the eastern defence wall.

Trostburg Castle

Everyone knows the Trostburg castle above the village of Waidbruck. But who knows it from the inside? For Europe’s castle enthusiasts, a visit has always been an “absolute must”, but travellers from north to south or south to north often pass it by. Wrongly, in our opinion, because although the view of the castle is always enchanting, the core of the treasure remains undiscovered.

Trostburg Castle has been open to the public since 1977 and is visited by an average of 7,000 people per year. The number of visitors is low compared to the first-class importance of the building, but visitors appreciate this. Trostburg Castle can be enjoyed in peace and quiet and with a personalised guide.

The history of Trostburg Castle dates back to the 12th century. Visitors will discover Romanesque door and window arches, Gothic fortifications from the time of the minstrel Oswald von Wolkenstein and late Gothic residential architecture from the 15th and early 16th centuries, as well as magnificent halls and panelling from the 16th and 17th centuries and Renaissance stucco and furnishings. Unexpected cosiness with idyllic squares characterise the building and its surroundings, whose architecture is still largely determined by the former knight’s castle.

Trostburg Castle is home to the South Tyrolean Castle Institute and the South Tyrolean Castle Museum. Recently, a newly built permanent exhibition entitled “Castles – Historical Buildings” has been on display in just three rooms and on the basis of 86 scale models. It offers a good insight into the history of the development of South Tyrolean castles.

The South Tyrolean Castle Museum Trostburg is open for you from Maundy Thursday until the end of October.

Reifenstein Castle

Reifenstein is one of the best-preserved castles in South Tyrol. The first mention of it dates back to 1100. The episcopal ministerials resided here until the middle of the 13th century, before the castle became the property of Count Albert of Tyrol.

In 1470, after further changes of ownership, the castle was handed over to the Teutonic Order by Duke Sigmund the Rich in Coin as repayment of a debt. The Order held Reifenstein until 1809 when it was dissolved by Napoleon.

The castle was then given to the Thurn und Taxis family by the Bavarian government, which administered Tyrol at the time, to compensate them for the reliable postal service.
Worth seeing inside the castle are the smoke kitchen, the sleeping quarters of the soldiers and servants, the green hall decorated with wonderful frescoes and the nearby St Zeno’s Church.

Wolfsthurn Castle

Wolfsthurn Castle, situated high above Mareit near Sterzing, was described by the Tyrolean historian Johann N. Tinkhauser in the 19th century as the “most beautiful castle in Tyrol”. Since it was built in the Baroque style, it has belonged to the Sternbach family and has been home to the South Tyrolean Provincial Museum of Hunting and Fishing since 1996.

The museum presents originally furnished state rooms as well as an impressive cultural-historical collection on the history of hunting and fishing. A varied themed trail leads to the castle, peppered with interactive stations and display boards that provide interesting facts about the “forest and water” habitats.

As part of the 11 South Tyrolean provincial museums, which also include the Franzensfeste Fortress and the South Tyrolean Wine Museum, the Hunting and Fishing Museum is a jewel. It is housed in Wolfsthurn Castle, a magnificent Baroque building owned by the Sternbach family, as is the Mair am Hof estate in Dietenheim, which is home to the South Tyrolean Provincial Museum of Folklore.

The museum, which has been open since 1996, presents wild animals in dioramas, hunting utensils and folk art artefacts on the first floor. The second floor is dedicated to the history of Wolfsthurn Castle and the von Wolfsthurn family. In the child-friendly basement, young visitors playfully learn about animal tracks, animal sounds and a bear’s den.

The South Tyrolean Provincial Museum of Hunting and Fishing at Wolfsthurn Castle is easy to reach. There is a car park in Mareit in the municipality of Ratschings in the Wipptal Valley. From the eastern entrance to Wolfsthurn Castle, a “forest and water” hiking trail suitable for pushchairs leads past the castle pond and a fallow deer enclosure to the castle.

Juval Castle

The MMM Juval, in Reinhold Messner’s private castle in the Vinschgau Valley, is dedicated to the myth of the mountain. Here you will find his extensive adventure library, Tibetika collection, a picture gallery of the world’s sacred mountains, a collection of masks from five continents, an expedition cellar, an exhibition on Gesar Ling, the Tantra room and Renaissance frescoes. Trained guides explain the entire exhibition. There is a mountain animal park, farm produce at the Schlosswirt inn, excellent wines at the Unterortl winery and a farm shop at the foot of the castle hill. Everyone leaves Juval Castle with strong impressions.

The first documented mention of Juval Castle in Val Venosta dates back to 1278, although prehistoric artefacts point to a long history. Hugo von Montalban was the lord of the castle at this time. In 1368, the border fortress became the property of the Lords of Starkenberg and in 1540, after many changes of ownership, the Sinkmoser family acquired the castle. Hans von Sinkmoser remodelled it into a stately home during the Renaissance period. After a few centuries, the castle passed into the ownership of the Hendl family, followed by the Blaas in 1813. In 1913, the Dutch coloniser William Rowland bought the castle and restored it. Reinhold Messner discovered the castle in 1983 and sensitively renovated it, adding modern architecture and foreign features, creating collections and turning the castle into both a residence and a museum.

In the 1990s, a glass gable roof was added by German architect Robert Danz to halt the decay of the north wing. This protects the historic walls, while the transparent glass and steel construction allows a view of the building’s history.

Tyrol Castle

Tyrol Castle is the symbolic centrepiece of the province of Tyrol and today houses the South Tyrolean Provincial Museum of Cultural and Regional History. The castle was built in the late 11th century. This first building was altered around 1138 when the south palace and the chapel adjoining it to the east were rebuilt. A building concept was realised here that was typical of imperial and episcopal palaces. The two portals, which represent the main monument of medieval architectural sculpture in Tyrol, were also built at the same time.

The east palace was added under Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol, at the same time the south palace was raised by one storey and the “Turris parva” was built. The economic wing on the west side dates back to the 12th century and was altered in the 13th century. The kitchen courtyard was located on the south side of the keep, followed to the east by the Mushaus, which was altered in the early 20th century with additions and extra storeys. The keep was raised in 1903, followed by the construction of the battlements.

An interactive tour through the castle complex, which has grown over the centuries, illustrates the most important themes of regional, artistic and social history, as well as everyday life at Tyrol Castle in the Middle Ages. Starting with the beginnings, the castle’s heyday in the Middle Ages, the impressive portals, which are among the most important examples of Romanesque architectural sculpture in the Alpine region, everyday life in the Middle Ages and the newly designed keep. This illustrates the history of the 20th/21st century on 20 levels. Multimedia stations, audio and film testimonies and a comprehensive collection of contemporary documents explain the long road to South Tyrolean autonomy.
In addition, annual exhibitions and activities provide a broad public with in-depth access to the historical development of Tyrol.

Castle Prösels

Prösels Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1279 as “Castrum Presile” and represents a medieval castle of historical significance. Built by the Lords of Fiè, the ministerials of the Bishops of Bressanone, it served as the ancestral castle and retreat. Leonhard von Völs-Colonna, an important member of the family, extended the castle in the 16th century to create a palace that combines late Gothic and Renaissance styles. Even witch trials took place at Prösels 500 years ago. After the Völs noble family died out in 1804, the castle underwent various changes of ownership, phases of decay and restorations.

In 1978, the KURATORIUM SCHLOSS PRÖSELS acquired the castle and renovated it extensively. The castle has been open to the public since 1981 and is used for celebrations, exhibitions, castle tours and cultural events such as concerts and theatre performances. The extensive collection of weapons is also worth seeing. Visits are possible during the summer months and now also in winter.

Bruneck Castle (MMM Ripa)

The MMM Ripa at Bruneck Castle, once the summer residence of the prince-bishops, is dedicated to the mountain peoples of the world and their culture, religion and tourism. The “heritage of the mountains”, which has ensured survival in the mountains for thousands of years, is brought closer to visitors through homes, films and encounters. Reinhold Messner’s museum in the Puster Valley illustrates the mountain culture, which is based on personal responsibility, renunciation of consumption and neighbourly help.

Bruneck Castle, built by Brixen Prince-Bishop Bruno von Kirchberg in 1250, served as an important fortification. In the second half of the 13th century, the town of Bruneck was built at the foot of the Schlossberg. The castle and fortifications were extended under Prince-Bishop Albert von Enn. Prince-Bishop Ulrich Putsch carried out further remodelling work. The castle suffered considerable damage during the siege by Duke Sigmund in 1460. Under Bishop Georg Golser, the castle was renovated and extended again for fear of the Turks.

Today, the castle bears witness to various stylistic periods, including Gothic vaults, Renaissance and Baroque rooms as well as decorative paintings in the inner courtyard. The refurbishment and adaptation into a museum was carried out between 2009 and 2011 by the Pustertal Valley architectural firm EM2. The architects took into account all construction periods and created additional exhibition space by extending the basement of the Zwinger.

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