Castles, keeps and dungeons
South Tyrol is a land of castles, keeps and manors. Here the Middle Ages live on. Over 780 of these romantic buildings from days gone by can be found in South Tyrol, mostly on the imperial transit routes or at the former border posts.
Today they accommodate museums, collections and restaurants. Your castle tour begins just around the corner from the **** Bacherhof Hotel:
| Rodeneck Castle |
The castle was built in 1140 by the Lords of Rodank and in the 16th century was turned by the Wolkensteiner family into one of the strongest castles in the land. The drawbridges, towers, ramparts, armoury and Iwein frescoes are particularly worth seeing! |
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| Mühlbacher Klause |
Former customs post and ancient fortress, build in 1260 under Count Meinhard II of Tyrol. Now beautifully restored. |
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| Franzensfeste fortress |
The once supposedly impregnable bulwark on the Austro-Hungarian frontier was completed in 1833 by Emperor Francis I of Austria. Today the fortress, which has never seen combat, looks majestically over an artificial lake. |
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| Hofburg Brixen |
The princely residence of the Brixen bishops boasts renaissance loggias, baroque facades, castle gate, church and the diocesan museum in 70 rooms with its fine collection of sacral art. |
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| Schloss Sigmundskron |
With its origins in prehistory, it later served as the castle and seat of the court of the bishops of Trento. This where Reinhold Messner sited his fourth museum project, the Messner Mountain Museum or MMM Firmian. Absolutely recommended |
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| Schloss Trauttmansdorff |
Empress “Sissi” of Austria resided at Trauttmansdorff Castle in Meran/Obermais. Today it is home to the botanical gardens and the South Tyrol Museum of Tourism |
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| Schloss Wolfsthurn |
A splendid baroque castle in Mareit near Sterzing, which today houses a museum of hunting and fishing. |
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| Burg Taufers |
The mighty medieval castle of the Lords of Taufers is fully furnished and very well maintained: it ranks among the largest and most beautiful castles in all Tyrol and contains furnishings and art objects from the 12th to the 17th centuries. |