Until the year 1803, the Hofburg in Brixen, located at Hofburgplatz 2, was the residence of the Prince-Bishops and until the year 1973 the residence of the bishops of the diocese. Today, the Hofburg houses the diocesan archive, the nativity museum, and the diocesan museum.
Amidst the green vineyards near Bolzano and in close proximity to the Talfer promenade, the walls of Maretsch Castle rise impressively and offer a magnificent panoramic view of the Rosengarten, the mountain massif in the South Tyrolean Dolomites.
The Marienberg Abbey is prominently visible on the slopes above Burgeis in the Vinschgau. For over 850 years, monks have been living and working here according to the rules of St. Benedict of Nursia.
The castle Obermontani, built by Count Albert III of Tyrol in the early 13th century, is of historical importance especially as the find site of an original manuscript of the Nibelungenlied.
It is hard to believe that in the Renaissance castle, which appears so friendly today, located in the beautiful village of Prissian, the minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein was once held captive and tortured.
The medieval “picture castle“ is a special jewel. It is located on a mighty porphyry rock north of Bolzano at the entrance to the Sarntal valley and is famous for its rich fresco decorations.
At the end of the 16th century - around 1575 - the Prince-Bishops of Brixen had a magnificent summer residence built on the sunny terrace of Feldthurns above the Eisack Valley.
Above the church village of Mareit, the mighty Castle Wolfsthurn rises, where since 1996 the South Tyrolean Museum of Hunting and Fishing, as part of the Provincial Museum of Ethnography in Dietenheim, has found its seat.
The 700-year-old Juval Castle, towering high above the Schnals Valley and owned by the South Tyrolean extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner since 1983, was opened for viewing in 1995.
In 1996, the province of South Tyrol acquired Schloss Thurn with the intention of establishing a regional museum for the culture and history of the Ladin ethnic group, to be called ‘Museum Ladin Ciastel de Tor‘.
Picturesquely, Schloss Kastelbell lies on a rock block on the left bank of the Adige in the sunny Vinschgau. Schloss Kastelbell is first mentioned in a document from the year 1238, but the history of the castle likely dates back even further.
One of the most powerful and beautiful castle complexes in South Tyrol is located on the hills above Schluderns in the Vinschgau: the Churburg. The Churburg is named after the bishops of Chur, the original lords of the castle. Prince-Bishop Heinrich von Montfort had it built around 1255 as a bulwark against the rising and rebellious Matsch Counts, who were in constant feud with the diocese of Chur.
The MMM Ripa is the fifth and last station of the Messner Mountain Museums, which are distributed all over South Tyrol, of the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner.
Anyone who has ever driven through the Eisack Valley heading south knows the Trostburg. Majestically, it sits on the mountainside above the village of Waidbruck at the entrance to the Val Gardena, one of the most beautiful and impressive castle complexes in South Tyrol.
Well 200m above Klausen in the Eisack Valley, the Säben Abbey is prominently visible on a striking rock. Picturesquely surrounded by vineyards, Säben is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful monastery complexes in South Tyrol.
Prösels Castle is one of the most beautiful Renaissance complexes in South Tyrol. It is located on the way to Kastelruth just before Völs am Schlern on the right side of the road in a charming, park-like landscape.
In 2006, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the vicinity of Bolzano was opened: the ‘Messner Mountain Museum Firmian‘ in the late medieval fortress of Sigmundskron Castle.
Visiting Castle Tyrol is a highlight of any vacation in South Tyrol. No other fortress in the castle-rich South Tyrol is as connected to the identity of the region as Castle Tyrol.
The gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle near Merano are probably the most beautiful in South Tyrol and maybe even in all of Italy. Covering an area of 12 hectares, more than 80 exemplary natural and cultural landscapes from around the world can be admired.
