Forts & Castles along the Alto Adige Wine Road

From a medieval core, remodelled in the 17th century during the Renaissance, a pointed-arch courtyard gate with stone surround and family crest leads onto the street. The stone archway features the letter "A" with an arrow as a bar. Above the front door is a coat of arms in stone consisting of three wavelike curving lines and the initials "L.H.". The ribbed vault and shouldered-arch doors date from 1500; the stone-framed rectangular and double-arched windows, as well as a bay on the façade, are from the 17th century.

The buildings of the "Happacherhof" estate can be dated back to 1604. Originally, the estate consisted of two farmsteads belonging to two different families. One of them was the Happacher family; for several generations, the mayors of the municipality of Auer/Ora came from this family. In 1911, the Theodor Steinkeller acquired the estate. His family was employed in the fruit trade and supplied the Habsburger monarchy from Bolzano/Bozen. Due to the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s, the family was unable to keep the estate. In 1938, the farmstead was put up for auction and bought by the "Ente di Rinascita," an organization that focused on buying farms in South Tyrol and making them available to interested Italian investors. It sold the estate to the Rovereto-based Botta family. A family supervisor ran the farm, but the family did not invest in its maintenance. In February 1984, the farm was purchased by the provincial administration for use as a "practice farm for the secondary school for agriculture" and named "Happacherhof" after the original owner family. Today, it is an important place for students of agriculture to practice their trade. The extensive restoration

The “zur Goldenen Krone” Inn dates from the 14th century and had a long row of spacious arcades supported on massive stone blocks. The entrance to the inner courtyard of the inn dates from the 17th century. The year 1650 is engraved in the key. The farm was ceded by the Lichtenstein family to the monastery of St. Michele all’Adige in 1470. In the 16th century, the Perkmanns were mostly the owners or rather leaseholders of the house, in the 17th century the Feigenputz and the Röll, Traxl and Lutterotti in the 18th century. It was considered the best inn between Bolzano and Trento and had a wealthy clientele. Despite decay in the previous two centuries, ownership of the building passed to the Mutschlechner family in 1811, who used it not only as an inn, but also for retail trade, horse-drawn carriage hire, a distillery and a butcher's shop.

L’affascinante paese di Ora è circondato da vigneti che gli conferiscono il suo tipico carattere rurale. Il centro del paese è fiancheggiato da mura in pietra naturale e vicoli stretti che ricordano un labirinto, da cui il nome labirinto di vicoli. Le origini del primo insediamento risalgono all'età della pietra e ancora oggi gli edifici medievali, che conferiscono al paese il suo fascino particolare, testimoniano i tempi passati.

The town hall of Salorno/Salurn was once owned by the family of the Barons von Winklhofer, whose coat of arms can also be found on the portal, is characterized by Nordic and Italian building elements typical of the Überetsch/Oltraadige style of the 16th century. The open archway of the old building rests on mighty stone blocks. On the façade, the stone-framed rectangular windows are arranged next to the two-storey bay window and alternate with two superimposed double round-arched windows.

The building techniques and the disposition of stones in layers let suppose that this little fortress was built around 1180. It is highly likely that the lords of the castle were the Counts of Tyrol. The last written documentation about the Helfenburg goes back to 1353.

In Eppan | Piganò, above Castel Gandegg, you find near Castel Englar the residence Moos Schulthaus. A little bit hidden, how it is usual for an insider tip, you can find a nice little museum for Middle Aged living.

Around the middle of the 13th century the dynasty of the Rottenburger built a Romanesque residential tower above the location Pigenò. Around the 14th century it was transformed and extended into a gothic residence for hunting. After the extinction of the Rottenburg in 1410, the complex ended up in the hands of the princes and later on to the Lords of Firmian and around 1500 to the Earl Spaur who expanded it even more. Until the middle of the 19th century it remained in the hands of the aristocrats of Schulthaus. With this intense change of property and the related architectural procedures caused a special fusion of connected elements, interlaced and on different levels situated premises and last but not least style characteristics of different époques. In 1958 Walther Amonn, merchant of Bozen and patron, bought the complex and had it costly restored and opened it for the public in 1985.

Well worth seeing are especially the frescos of the premises, which are a unique example of gothic mural art and give an insight in the life and philosophy of that time.

For the exploration of this historical valuable area around Castel Moss-Schulthaus, with the castles Englar and Gandegg together with the residences of Pigenò, we suggest the marked hiking and biking trails.

The beautiful building "In der Titschen" had been an inn since the 16th century and also served as a seat for court meetings until the middle of the 18th century. Here the minutes of the various sections into which the social life of the village was divided were written and offices and tasks were periodically distributed. With the takeover by the Venetian Counts Zenobio, the importance of the inn declined, as the court seat was moved to Mitterdorf.

Structure built on L-shaped plan consisting of two wings. The residential building to the north, facing the
road, dates from the Middle Ages as indicated by regular stone layers and corner blocks. It is topped by
a late-medieval extension that is linked to the core building under a single gable roof. The upper floor
features Renaissance fixtures: a panelled room with coffered ceiling, dentil friezes and a wall closet
dating from 1628. Immediately to the northeast is a round-arched entrance to the courtyard.
The south-facing wing has a passage with vaulting cells at ground level; an outside staircase in the
courtyard runs round a corner to the first floor. Topped with hip roof.

Castle basket ( Italian Castel Corba ) is a castle west of Bolzano in Appiano district Missian in South Tyrol. It is located below the castle ruins Boymont . The square tower house was from 1230 to 1235 , built by the Lords of basket, ministry officials of the Counts of Appiano . From the 14th century it was a fief in the hands of various Tyrolean noble families (including the fox Fuchsberg and Fieger , 1637 ) . The merchant Johann cleaner Reibegg of 1834 prompted a castle-like , romanticized conversion to a winning with decorative pinnacles housing and the construction of the chapel. [1 ] The crenellated tower house is now covered with a pyramidal roof . Are coupled Romanesque double windows on the sides. In 1877, the native of Greifswald Teßmann family acquired the property . Their son Friedrich Tessman was born at Castle basket and was a noted jurist and historian Tyrol. According to him, the State Library was named in Bolzano.

Here used to be the farm at Ziggl, first mentioned in 1541 as the property of Franz Seemann von Mangern, later as the property of the Barons von Coreth. In 1798 Bartlme von Hebenstreit sold it to the court clerk Anton Teiss. In 1820 Michael Rizzoll acquired the farm; the majority of the estates were separated in the process. In 1862 it went to Katharina Rizzolli and in 1871 to the grocer Mathias Pfitscher. In 1880, he sold it to the municipality. From 1889 onwards, the school building was erected in the lower part, the upper part being the community hall until the first half of the 20th century. Today, this house houses various social institutions, a primary school, library, flats for the elderly and the doctor's ambulatory.

 Inside the house there are numerous cross vaults, and the doors and windows are mostly stone-framed. The sandstone for these openings was once quarried in the surrounding area, for example in Kalditsch.

According to oral tradition, it was once a customs station for the Enn jurisdiction. In 1530, an inn was first documented here. Furrier Hans Disner from Neumarkt is named as the tenant. The valuable wall paintings in the dining room, which probably also served as a courtroom at the time, date from this time.

The central element of these frescoes is the coat of arms of Emperor Charles V, who probably passed through Tyrol on his way back from Bologna to the Imperial Diet in Augsburg in 1530 and probably stopped here in Montan. Various allegorical representations can be seen in eight divided fields of the cross vault; the Habsburg imperial coat of arms, the Austrian shield with ducal hat and the Tyrolean coat of arms with laurel wreath are also shown in the centre of the west wall.

Owned by the Teiss family from 1586. In 1600, the "Guldenen Löwen auf Monthan" is described as an economic dwelling. 1687 Ownership by the Pernter family, who appear as restaurant owners until 1737. This was followed by the Constanz and later the Haidenberger from Olang and 10 further owners. In 1865 the property came to the Pichler family from Kalditsch, who had once migrated from Petersberg. Matthias, Peter and Kreszentia acquire the Oberwirt. They are followed as owners in 1928 by Lambert Pichler and then his widow Martha until 1974, followed by their son Otto Pichler with his wife Magdalena Scherlin. In 2002, their son Harald Pichler took over the "Goldener Löwen" together with his wife Barbara Thaler and their two daughters.

The castle ruins of "Castelforte/Festenstein" can be described as Andriano's symbol. It reigns over Andriano from the lofty, rocky outcrop of the Gola del Rio Gaido, and can only be reached via a steep mountain climb. Its location was certainly a pondered choice by the stonemason to ensure the weapons of the enemies would never reach the castle. At the same time, the spectacular location of the castle offers a 360° view across the lower Valle dell'Adige. "Festenstein" was first mentioned in written documents in the mid-13th century. We assume that the castle was built at the time or greatly expanded. Regardless, it had already been built by the time the Counts of Appiano oversaw the valley, they probably assigned one of their vassals to administer the castle.
Managing such a castle would have been tedious work  and included collecting taxes from farms, the constant worry about providing the castle with water, food, and firewood, improvement works and endless suveillance shifts. All these tasks, considering the virtually inaccessible location of the castle, would have been pure torture. Sometime between the 13th and 14th century the castle was damaged, probably during the ongoing skirmishes of the time, because in 1383 it became property of the Lords of Villandro, who were tasked with restoring the decrepit ruins to their former glory. This shows how the castle still had a role to play at the end of the 14th century.

In the following period, the castle changed hands various times. In the 15th century it belonged to the Sparrenberger, members of the gentry, followed by the Lords Lanser of Appiano between 1654 and 1818.

In 2008,  Count Meinhard Khuen von Belasi purchased the castle ruins and commissioned, together with the South Tyrolean Office for Cultural Heritage, various restoration measures to secure the state of the walls and protect the castle from further deterioration.

After years of restoration work, Castelforte is now open to visitors. On various dates, the Andriano Tourist Association enables a special opening of the castle.
Special Opening of the Ruins Festenstein 2023:

Sunday, 02.04.2023
Friday,07.04.2023
Sunday, 16.04.2023
Friday,21.04.2023 cancelled
Sunday, 30.04.2023
Friday,05.05.2023
Friday,12.05.2023 cancelled
Friday,19.05.2023
Monday, 29.05.2023
Friday, 02.06.2023
Saturday, 10.06.2023
Sunday, 11.06.2023
Friday,16.06.2023
Friday,23.06.2023
Friday,07.07.2023
Friday,21.07.2023
Friday,11.08.2023
Friday,25.08.2023
Sunday, 03.09.2023
Friday,08.09.2023
Friday,15.09.2023
Friday,22.09.2023
Sunday, 01.10.2023
Friday,06.10.2023
Sunday, 15.10.2023

Opening times:  10:00 – 15:00

Cancelled in bad weather!

You can't visit the castle as it is a centre for further education. You could walk to the castle and have a look from the outside.

The ruin Kaldiff is locaded at Mazzon, above Egna . This castle was probably built around 1200. Between the 16th and 18th century it was inhabited by the noble family Von Enn. However, unfortunately it decayed partially after a fire. Today, after remediation work, there are only remains of curtain-walls as well as some frescoes and mural paintings available.

Patronal feast: June 29th.

The church ruins date back to the 5th century AD. The building reminds of church buildings in Aquileia and Milan. During excavations, the old position of the altar as well as the relic chamber could be determined. The S. Peter ruin in Altenburg is probably the oldest Tyrolean church ruin. Its decay began with the closure of the church in 1782.

Source: Parish office Kaltern

The stately castle of Enn is located above Montan/Montagna. It was built around the year 1300 at the request of the noble Lords of Enn, who at that time also owned the fortress of Castelfeder. In the course of a dispute, the von Enn family was expelled. The castle was subsequently inhabited by several noble families and repeatedly rebuilt. Since the 17th century, Enn Castle has been privately owned by the Albrizzi family and is not open to visitors. An exception is the traditional "Schlosskonzert," which takes place annually in mid-August. This is a good opportunity to see the castle courtyard and experience a traditional concert by the Montan Music Band.

Structure on the Kirchplatz marked by late-Gothic and Renaissance influences. Stone bench along the
façade facing the square with 17th-century wrought-iron window grilles on the upper floor. Courtyard wall
to the west with merlons and integrated portal with plastic sandstone framework. Jambs decorated with
scrollwork surround a blazon featuring pretzels and waterwheel on the door lintel in reference to the mill
and bakery that once existed here.
The former princely fief with its press for tithe wine once belonged to Castle Auer opposite.

There used to be two large residential units here: in the front part was the house of the tailor Ulrich Leb, mentioned in 1523, called am "Prunnen", named after the village fountain which stood in front of this house until the first decade of the 21st century; and in the rear part of the house was the "Haus an der Stiegen", first mentioned in 1526 with Conz Puphtaler. Inhabitants of these houses include cobblers, coopers, bailiffs and schoolmasters. Even a baking oven is mentioned: in the 17th century, when Montan had no baker of its own, the "Brothieter" also served bread here from time to time.

Peter, Elisabeth and Anna Terleth were the last private owners from 1875. With a foundation, they laid the foundation stone for the old people's home that has stood here since 2010.

The farm gate to the east and the farmhouse parlour to the south have been preserved from the old days and have both been well integrated into the new building.

It was most probably built at the same time (the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century) and probably used for fires that were used as signals. Kreideturm: the tower is situated just 50 m below Burg Hocheppan. Architectural style: a wall, which has now fallen down, surrounded the tower. There are still a few metres visible on the south side. On the other side there is a lower lying entrance that was probably used to light the fires. The inside of the tower is a narrow dark shaft. Walking: all walks to Hocheppan go past this tower.

The Gasthof zur Rose is located in the southern quarter of Salorno/Salurn, which is called "Gries". The first references with a description of the Gasthof "Zur Rose" go back to the year 1584.

The Gelmini estate was built in the first half of the 17th century. It belonged to the An der Lan and Fedrigotti families and to the Gelmini family. The three-storey building has a beautiful garden and several courtyards leading to the service buildings. Another interesting feature is the oriel with turrets and ox-eyes in the upper part of the façade, located on Schillerstrasse. The building is decorated with a mosaic created in 1911 depicting a Virgin and Child inspired by Raphael's Renaissance Madonna. Particularly worth seeing are the coffered ceiling in the wood-panelled oriel room, which dates from 1661, and the carved wooden walls, which run in two vertical strips and are separated by refined half-columns. Dr. Max von Gelmini was one of the largest silkworm breeders in South Tyrol. He built the so-called "silk spinning mill", one of the most important examples of industrial architecture in the entire country.

 

Maultasch Castle Ruin (Neuhaus) was probably built in the early 13th century as a double castle, but shows only ruined walls today. These have been carefully restored so that visitors can imagine the castle life at earlier time.

Seeschlössl: this romantic house is situated on the west bank of the large Montiggl Lake. History: Josef von Zastrow, who came from Germany and also owned Aichberg, in 1888, built it. At this time he also owned both the lakes. In 1902 the village of Eppan took over both lakes. Architectural style: the whole building is very pleasing and blends in well with the scenery. The style is middle Aged, the windows have pointed arches and the gables have a staircase form finish. The painter Max Sparer from Tramin often painted this house. Walking: as soon as you get to know the two Montiggler Lakes, it is no problem to find this beautiful house. Walks through the Spring Valley and round the large lake take you past this house

Another point of interest is the Baumgarten Castle in the historical center of Auer/Ora. During the 12th century, it was used as a fortification. Afterwards, many modifications were made and additions built. Nowadays, it is part of the agricultural high school.

Majestic estate house with imposing residential quarters and adjacent farm wing to the west. Originally owned by the Wohlgemuth family from Planitzing. In 1874 it was acquired by Josef Malfèr and rebuilt.

The front garden and staircase date from this time.

The property was acquired in the interwar years by the merchant Daniel Graiff.

Although it is not really in the area of the municipality of Kaltern, the ruin Leuchtenburg, which can be reached through a nice walk, belongs to Kaltern's skyline. Built in 1250 by the lords of Rottenburg, it was protected by its location and by an imposing wall. Many castles of the Rottenburgers were honed after their conflict with Duke Friedrich IV of Tyrol in 1410, but the Leuchtenburg passed into the possession of the landlord, who gave it to the respective mainmen of Caldaro. For a long time the Leuchtenburg was also the seat of the judge of Kaltern. In the 17th century the ruin ceased to be used, it was abandoned. Parts of the wall and the palace with frescoes from the 15th century are still well preserved. Always worth seeing: The beautiful view of lake Kaltern from above, the South Tyrolean wine road and the Adige Valley. Perfect location for a picknick.

At the church square, a medieval village castle rises majestically. This castle received its present form around 1600. Auer Castle is said to have been the ancestral seat of the Lords of Auer/Ora, who were first mentioned in 1190 as "Conradinus de Aura de masnada filiorum Enrici de Egna." In documents, the castle was also called the "Gesäss," as it housed, among other things, the official residence of the sovereigns. In the 19th century, the von Fioreschy family took over the property and gave it its present name: Von Fioreschy estate. In 2014, the estate underwent extensive renovations.

The “Liebenstein” estate with its Maria-Hilf fresco dates back to the 16th century. In the first documents it is referred to as "Hof der Plattner genannt Röll". At the beginning of the 18th century, the two original buildings were combined into a single complex and given the name "Ansitz Liebenstein". The An der Lan family were the last noble owners of the house.

The castle chapel of Hocheppan with its roman frescos is one of the most important roman art monuments in South Tyrol. The centuries old frescos had been painted over and were only entirely laid open in 1926. Besides religious themes, the hunting scene on the exterior wall can be seen as one of the rarest profane depictions in Tyrol dating from this time period. The wall paintings originate from the first decade of the 13th century and show famous illustrations like the foolish virgins, the dumpling eater - the first proof for Tyrolean dumplings - and the picture of 'Maria Heimsuchung' which is well known far beyond the border of South Tyrol.