Burg Obermontani / Castello di Montani di Sopra

Count Albert needed Obermontani as a bulwark against the bishops of Chur, with whom he was constantly feuding. The castle was built in 1228 at the entrance to the Martell Valley in Vinschgau on a rocky hill that is washed by the Plima stream. Actually, the castle was already illegally located in the dominion of the diocese of Chur, which further fueled the disputes. Ultimately, the Tyrolean counts had to cede the feudal lordship over the castle to the bishops of Chur.

Obermontani consists of a palace with arcades, a residential tower, a short, double bailey, and a curtain wall crowned by merlons. The castle Untermontani, located about 30 meters below, was probably built at about the same time as a kind of outer ward. It is a small structure with a triangular floor plan, featuring a drawbridge, a small bailey, a keep, and a palace.

In 1299, both castles fell into the hands of the Lords of Montani, who also gave them their current names. However, Untermontani was sold in 1355 and changed owners several times. Obermontani was fundamentally rebuilt in the 16th century, including the addition of another floor to the palace. In 1614, the Montani family died out, and the new owners became the Counts of Mohr, who soon also owned Untermontani. They inhabited Obermontani until the 19th century. When the last Count of Mohr died in 1833, the castle was still in perfect condition. After that, however, it was sold to a farmer who gradually sold off the entire inventory and let the castles fall into ruin.

Today, only ruins can be seen of both complexes, clearly affected by the weather. Parts of the curtain wall and the keep of Untermontani have already fallen into the Plima stream many years ago, which had undercut the slope of the castle hill.

The library of the Counts of Mohr was especially famous and extensive, but like everything else, it was squandered in the 19th century. Fortunately, a monk from Marienberg discovered a unique treasure in it just in time: an original manuscript of perhaps the greatest German-language poetry of the Middle Ages, the Nibelungenlied, from the year 1323. This manuscript is now in the Berlin State Library.