Castles & palaces in Obervinschgau

Above Schluderns in the sunny Vinschgau, towers the Churburg, one of the best preserved castles of South Tyrol. Today’s visitors find an impressive Renaissance castle, enhanced by the remarkable paintings in the arcades surrounding the courtyard. Many precious objects are to be seen in the Romanic chapel, the Matscher chamber and other splendid rooms. The world renowned armoury contains the largest collection of its kind. The harnesses, all made for members of the family, are of incomparable artistic and historic value.

Visits are only possible with a guided tour!
Guided tours in English on request: +39 0473 61 52 41

Churburg Castle is closed from the beginning of November to the end of March.

Ganglegg is the best-researched fortified Bronze-Age/Iron-Age Alpine settlement in the entire Alpine region.

The Plawenn Manor, which is located in the Mals fraction of the same name, was previously a residential tower and its history dates back to the 12th century. Over the centuries, the building has witnessed many stories and has seen many people come and go. The manor is still owned by the Count of Plawenn. 

The manor can be visited on request from June to mid-August!

As a place of passage over the Alps, the Upper Vinschgau has always been of military interest. Not only the Romans, the Habsburgs and Napoleon passed through here, but also the Second World War left its traces. Most of these traces, however, are not visible to the naked eye, as they are monumental underground bunkers that were planned as defensive installations and places of refuge. The hidden fortresses were part of the Alpine Wall, but were never used for military purposes.
Today, the architectural relics from the interwar period are embedded in the orchards and pastures of the surrounding area.

Bunker guided tours (in German or Italian): every Thursday from June to October. Registration and information on +39 0473 831 190

Furstenburg Castle in Burgeis/ Burgusio is a fortress erected in the 13th century on behalf of the Bishop Conrad of Chur (1272 - 1282). In the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. it was however restructured according to the style of the time. The oldest part of the castle is the tower which displays walls of a three meters thick diameter.
In 1996, the tower collapsed and was subsequently extended by the then director Georg Flora. Today, the Fürstenburg is home to a technical school for agriculture and forestry. 

Visits only possible with a guided tour between 03 July and 28 August (German or Italian language).
Information: +39 0473 831190

The scheme to promote mountaineering villages in the Alpine regions supports environmentally-friendly, natural tourism. The network unites villages with a thriving natural and cultural landscape, which have been spared major technical innovations and where mountains and mountaineering are an integral part of the identity.
From leisurely “Waalweg” irrigation-channel trails through to the three-thousand metre climbs – enjoy all the authenticity of the Matsch Valley. The living traditions and customs offer you an insight into the active village community, and a stop-off to wander round the castle ruins at the entrance to the village brings the dreaded Matsch robber-barons back to fearsome life.

A trading area grew up to the south, outside the City walls, probably around the same time that the City of Glurns was established. The idea was to provide the new urban Settlement with an economic mainstay other than trade. For this purpose the mill stream was diverted directly at the old Bridge over the River Etsch: it would from now on serve (at the latest from 1330) as a power source for the city mill. The importance of the miller`s craft in those times is shown by the fact that millers had their own handicrafts ordinance (since at least 1615) an in Baroque times there existed here a fraternity of millers. Repeatedly destroyed and damaged over the course of the centuries, the City mill was always rebuilt, since a functioning mill was clearly in the public interest. The waterwheel was replaced by current owner and in 2004 the mill was completely restored.

The ruins of the two castles Rotund and Reichenberg are clearly visible from the village of Taufers in the Münstertal. Rotund Castle is located at an altitude of 1500 metres, making it one of the highest castles in Tyrol. It was built around 900 by order of the bishops of Chur. The castle changed hands several times over the centuries before it was abandoned at the end of the 17th century and left to decay. Below Rotund is Reichenberg Castle. Originally, Reichenberg Castle was owned by the bishops of Chur, but in the middle of the 12th century it fell into the hands of the robber baron, Lord of Reichenberg, who spread fear and terror. At the end of the 17th century, this castle was also abandoned. Today, the ruins of both estates can be visited.