Forts & Castles along the Alto Adige Wine Road

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.

Mysterious eras of the past Food, drinks and an attraction A brief journey back in time to the High Middle Ages. Only the freshly prepared dishes create a rather delicious bridge to the future. Boymont Castle was built as the seat of a noble family in the year 1230. After a fire in 1742, the ruins came into the possession of several owners, until it was finally bought by Fritz Dellago in 1977. The two knights' halls, as well as the stone-framed arched windows, pillars and capitals are worth a visit in their own right. Special dishes: Daily ribs and roast in medieval style made in the smoker. Opening hours Ruin Boymont is open daily from 11.00 till 17.00. Day off on Mondays, except from Mid-September till October.

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

Extended structure consisting of three components dating from the Renaissance of the early 17th century. The starting point for its architectural development was a two-storey Gothic core on the Kirchplatz with the basement containing two large, vaulted rooms used for agricultural purposes. Several sandstone-framed windows and a portal in stone with lozenge-shaped ashlars and rosettes indicate the significant extension works during the Renaissance.

A large park is located directly to the east of the Steinkellerhaus.

The castle of Salorno stands imposingly on the rocks above the village and is the symbol of the village. Its position makes it one of the most impressive ruins in the Alps. It was built in the Middle Age and during the time it was constantly enlarged. It was in possession of different nobel families and since the 17th century it belongs to the descendants of Earl Zenobio-Albrizzi from Venice. Thank to their help the castle was restored. Since 2003 it can be visited during summer. Nowadays there take place many cultural events during the warm season.

There is a path called "Way of visions" which leads to the hill of the castle in 20 minutes (by foot).

Large estate building on an L-shaped plan, surrounded by a walled enclosure. The original medieval core, realised in the 13th century, was extended in the early 17th century. Its alternative name, the “Pottaschenhof [potash farm]”, refers to the potash once produced here that was used for laundry purposes.

Complex of residential and farm buildings on the Wasserfallstrasse and the St. Kolumbangasse, arranged at an acute angle and grouped around a courtyard. Its core is located at the intersection of the two roads; it was expanded in the early 17th century, during the Renaissance, as indicated by the stone-framed courtyard gate with the monogram “Hans Pock” and the date 1626: the year 1620 could once be read on a double-arched window.

The medieval core, near the Kirchplatz, was rebuilt and considerably altered in the late-Gothic and Renaissance eras of the 16th and 17th centuries. Original staircase as well as rib-vaulted hall. The remains of late-Gothic murals from the early 16th century were uncovered on the second floor.

This imposing 3-storey Baroque building “Herrenhof” (17th century) has a façade with two rows of eleven wide windows topped by oeil-de-boeuf windows. The large round-arch portal framed with marble ashlars is noteworthy. Known as “maso Schnatterle”, the “Schnatterle farmstead” (1550-1600), it belonged first to Andreas von Fenner, then in the 17th century, to the Thun-Filippini family, before passing to the important Zenobio-Albrizzi family and finally, towards the mid-19th century, to the Noldin family.

Estate building in the “Fuchsloch” quarter, consisting of two wings connected by a gate.
The older north wing (formerly the “Anichhaus”) is of 13th-century medieval origin: the newer south wing
(the “Cazanhaus”) was added around 1600 during the Renaissance. Vaulted courtyard passage and
remains of a Baroque façade painting.

The Saalhaus is a type of building which is about 45 to 60 meters deep with a façade width of 5-11 meters. Through the entry door in the façade, you pass through a long, vaulted archway into the inner courtyard onto which rooms, used as storerooms, open. In the heart of the house, facing the courtyard, is the "Saal" or hall, a room of large dimensions, reaching from the ground floor up to the roof. Thanks to its opening onto the courtyard and its dormer windows, the room is well lit and remains cool during the summer months. These characteristics make it suitable for many domestic activities, for example, the preparation of agricultural products or drying of laundry. All the second-floor rooms and the balconies for accessing the upper floors face this room; all of this contributes to making the "Saal" the heart of family life. It is possible to look at the internal structure of a Saalhaus while passing through the pedestrian passageway that leads through the inner courtyard of Via Andreas Hofer 32.

The train station of the old Val di Fiemme railway was the starting point of the line extending from Auer/Ora to Predazzo, passing through Montan/Montagna, Truden/Trodena, and Kaltenbrunn/Fontanefredde. In 1894, the construction of a railroad had already been considered. Prompted by WWI, the Austrian army command ordered construction of the railway in 1916; it was an important means of supplying the Dolomite Front. From 1918 onward, the railway also carried passengers. In 1930, the train - which was pulled by a steam engine - was electrified, thus reducing the travel time from 4 to 2 hours. Due to increasing mobilization and the establishment of a bus connection to Val di Fiemme, the train lost its importance. On January 10, 1963, the train ran one last time from, Auer to Predazzo, before being decommissioned. Today, the railway track is a popular path for cycling tours or hiking excursions. The old train station Auer Val di Fiemme is the location of several cultural events and concerts.

In 1557, this house on the square, always described as small, was still an accessory to today's Amplatz, formerly the inn "zum Zotten" and connected by three doors. After it was later mentioned as an accessory to the Hilber, it was occupied around 1700 by the priest Johann Teiss the Elder. His heirs sold it in 1722 to Balthasar Öfner, Ladler or Krämer auf Montan. In 1783 the cobbler Johann Babtista Monsorno bought the upper part of the house - the seller received a pair of new shoes on top of the purchase price - and in 1788 Monsorno also bought the lower part. In 1813 the house was divided again: Peter Kaufmann received one floor and Josef Gaßmann one. In 1834 Gaßmann ceded his part to Peter Kaufmann. In 1838, he bequeathed the house to the community as the holder of the patronage rights of the Teissische Benefizium, with the condition that it be made available to the respective beneficiary free of charge. In 1905, the Benefiziumhäusl was sold to Jordan Amplatz. In 2017, Karl Amplatz sold it to the Zuchristian-Amplatz family, who lovingly renovated the house and expanded their directly bordering accommodation business (Amplatz). This closes the circle, and the Benefiziumhäusl is once again an accessory to the adjacent Amplatz, as it was in 1557.

 

Since 1507, a sundial has adorned this house, which in addition to the sundial on the church tower shows the time to visitors to the village square. As a special feature, this chronometer even distinguishes between "old" (winter time) and "new" time (summer time).

The Hausmann-Locherer estate dates from the Renaissance period, was built in the second half of the 16th century and is characterised by architectural elements of Nordic and Italian origin that are typical of the Überetsch/Oltradige architectural style. Architrave-shaped windows and an entrance portal with a round arch decorate the façade of the building. Above this round arch is the coat of arms of Andrä Locherer from 1593, consisting of a unicorn standing on its hind legs. The interior rooms with their central hall are arranged symmetrically. Some rooms have stuccoed ceilings, others are covered with 17th century woodcarving decorations. The entire building encloses an inner courtyard.

During some excavations in the "Kahn" area in 1983, remains of an ancient Roman edifice were found. Those remains almost certainly belong to the "Endidae Mansio," which appears in the "Itinerarium Antonini." The large edifice with ground area of 737 m² featured a rectangular shape with a huge arcade and a central, partly roofed court. Several rooms were built around the court, which were probably relaxation rooms (cubicula) and a kitchen.

 

The rectory, a baroque building and former Vilas residence, was owned by the Lutterotti family in 1741. In 1858 it was acquired by the municipality to house the school and the parish office. The windows and the entrance portal of the three-storey building have stone surrounds, and the attic has nine ox eyes. Inside, there are numerous stucco-decorated rooms and delicate wrought-iron balustrades. The 17th century chapel was originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. Anthony of Padua.

Eines der schönsten Anwesen auf rebbepflanztem Hügel. Beliebter Drehort für Filmszenen. Ehemals einfacher mittelalterlicher Weinhof; Umbau zu einem vornehmen Ansitz im Stilempfinden
der Zeit um 1600 vom Besitzer Elias Leis (Baumeister Luca d’Allio): zwei Ecktürme am Wohntrakt, Freitreppe, Loggia, gewölbte Mittelsäle mit Doppelbogenfenstern. Wegen Überschuldung wurde das Anwesen bald verkauft. Über die Jahrhunderte mehrmals Besitzerwechsel, u. a. Johann Anton Zeffer, der 1641 mit „von Zephyris“ geadelt wurde. Seit dem frühen 19. Jh. im bäuerlichen Besitz.
Die Kapelle mit Fassadenturm ist dem Viehpatron St. Anton Abt geweiht und auf einem mittelalterlichen Kern erbaut, im 17. Jh. erweitert. Die Deckenmalerei, Szenen des Hl. Antonius, stammt von Lukas Plazer (1664).

The stone-framed round-arched portal opens towards Goethe Street on the west side of the An der Lan estate, a Renaissance building from the 16th century. Above it you find the beautiful double-arched windows. The south façade is adorned by a belt cornice and large rectangular windows set in stone with wrought-iron grilles. Inside, the central halls have vaulted ceilings, with the wood-panelled room on the first floor a testament to expert woodcarving and inspired by the Renaissance style. In 1817, the building was acquired by the Gelmini zu Kreuzhof family.

Three-storey building in neo-Romanesque style; adjacent park with high trees. Single-run outside staircase to the first floor on the northwest side of the palazzo-like main building, with corner pilaster strips to the side, topped with a small turret. An aedicule with the Queen of the Rosary faces the main street. The courtyard entrance features portal pillars in the Mannerist style dating from 1612.

The most interesting part of the façade of the “von Lutterotti” estate, a 17th century Baroque building, is probably the portal. It is framed by two half-columns with capitals and scroll and smooth and broken headstones. This is the magnificent archway of the court and prison building of the former Salorno/Salurn jurisdiction. The seat is adorned by three wrought-iron balconies. The hall on the first floor is decorated with stucco work. After the building was no longer used as a seat of jurisdiction, it passed to the namesake Lutterotti family from Salurn.

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 remarkable Baroque residence of the Barons of Longo dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. It presents a simple façade and a Baroque portal which can be reached through a two-winged staircase. The stone frame of the portal is decorated with two putti and a female bust. The interiors are richly decorated: high reliefs in stucco by Franz Hannibal Bittner and frescoes by Giacomo Antonio Delai, two artists who worked in the Bolzano/Bozen area from 1730. The palace also includes a unique park that extends to the forest behind the village.

 

In the fullness of the Überetscher countryside, high among the vineyards and orchards, lies the magnificent mansion of the 15th Century overlooking the idyllic Adige valley. For over 50 years in private property. Since 2022,  it has been run, like Castle Freudenstein , by Mrs Karoline Fink and her son Peter Gostner.The place is made for celebrations, which is why the Ansitz Zinnenberg is mainly used for weddings, company parties, Törggelen and other festivities. We will make your celebration an unforgettable event, with all the trimmings: decoration, cuisine and organisation.  
Ansitz Zinnenberg is also a hotel with five suites; a special, private retreat. Please feel free to contact us for further information. 

The most interesting building in Andreas-Hofer-Street from a historical point of view is surely the "Ballhaus." This construction functioned as a warehouse and repository for goods passing through Neumarkt/Egna, which, by disposition of the reigning sovereign Duke Otto, were obliged to pay duty and remain there for a night. Above the semi-circular stone framed arch of the portal, the erroneous date of 1372 appears along with the Egna coat of arms. In fact, the Ballhaus was built some 150 years later. You could say that the Ballhaus is the symbol of the privileges which Egna enjoyed until the 18th century and which permitted it to develop into the great and beautiful village we know today. Currently, following very careful restoration, this building is the site of the community library for the German-speaking population, the "Bibliothek im Ballhaus."

Greifenstein castle is enthroned high above the village of Siebeneich/Settequerce. It was first mentioned in 1159.  During the war between the Counts of Tyrol and the Bishop of Trient, in 1275/1276, the castle was destroyed.  Only in 1334, the small aristocrats, the Lords of Greifenstein decided to re-built it again.  On a few years later, in 1348, it was burnt down.  In latter years (once more re-built in 1363), Greifenstein went into the hands of the Lords of Starkenberg.  In 1420, when a part of the Tyrolean aristocracy went into war against the sovereign Duke Frederick of Austria, the sovereign had the castle besieged and starved out.  Amongst the duke's enemies was also the minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein.  He wrote a poetic song about the duke's besieger and made fun of them.  The duke's army could not take Castle Greifenstein, but the fight of the aristocracy and the castle's owner, Wilhelm von Starkenberg, became meaningless and, therefore, the Lord of Starkenberg escaped probably through a crevice at the south-western part of the castle.  His 18 servants gave up their resistance once they were promised free withdrawal.  Today, Castle Greifenstein is merely a ruin. 
In common language, it is also called the Sauschloss.  This name derived from a legend, which speaks about the time of the siege.  During this time, the people inside the castle had to face fact that they were left with no food.  There was only one well fattened pig in the castle's cellar.  Suddenly, one of the servants had an idea: instead of slaughtering the animal, they threw it with much laughter over the castle walls and down the rock just in front of the besiegers.  When those realised what just had happened, they lost all courage as they believed that the castle's inhabitants still had lots of food available.  Therefore, they withdrew ..... and Greifenstein was saved.

 

Ansitz Freienfeld was built in 1521 by the Earl of Indermauer. (Courtyard surrounded by embattled walls.) In the large windows of the Trinkstube beautiful frescoes can be seen.

The perfect combination of history, culture and modern comfort. Talking about Paschbach Castle, one might at first remember the name of one of the greatest pianists of the last century: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, who was the co-founder of the Busoni piano contest. Michelangeli lived for many years in the castle and played the piano, which can still be seen here today. A mansion for its noble owners, Paschbach Castle is today a friendly, family-owned b&b. With its beautiful castle grounds, surrounded by the fruit orchards and vineyards of Appiano sulla Strada del Vino, the b&b offers the modern lord and lady of the castle stunning views and a sense of grandeur. The heart of the imposing structure is the "Tower of Paschway" dating back to the first half of the 13th century in which is situated a magnificent gothic stube. The complete complex of buildings is surrounded by ring walls with battlements. The castle is an ideal starting point for numerous excursions and leisure time activities. Only a few steps away you will find the Golfclub Freudenstein with training ground and golf academy. Even the well known Caldaro Lake and the Lake of Monticolo, which you can reach in only a few minutes.

In the Middle Ages, the "Klosterhof" in the Vill/Villa was probably the property of the Augustinian Canons' Monastery of San Michele all'Adige. From 1560, it was owned by Anna Regina Recordin zu Radeck. In 1740, it was acquired by Josef A. v. Feldmannsdorf. From 1762 to 1908, it was owned by the nobles of the v. Vilas family. Since then, it has been the farmstead and winery of the Pernter family. It is a stately two-story building and one of the most beautiful wine farms in the country. The current form dates back to the 17th century.

Griesfeld estate in Neumarkt/Egna. This beautiful residence was built by Karl Balthasar of Cazan around the middle of the 17th century. Rectangular windows, two biforiums and six ox-eye windows adorn the elegant façade. On the second floor of the building there is a wonderful Baroque chapel, whose barrel vault is decorated with rich stucco and valuable 17th-century frescoes depicting the lives of saints and the Blessed Mother. Today this stately building houses a home economics school

The building in baroque style became the residence of the Venetian Counts Zenobio in 1729, after they acquired it from the Cazan lords. The façade is decorated with the coats of arms of the family that held the court of Enn and Kaldiff between 1648 and 1830. The interiors are arranged symmetrically around a central staircase and have magnificent stuccoed ceilings.