Schloss Maretsch / Castello Mareccio

How unusual – most castles are usually perched on a remote mountain peak. Nevertheless, the towers with the arrow slits and the battlements still exude something defensive. Behind the tiny windows, secrets of a dark past flicker and immerse the old building in a mystical light. The old heart of the castle was built at the end of the 12th and in the first half of the 13th century. This includes the impressive keep. Subsequently, the complex was further developed and received a more powerful exterior, which was certainly useful for deterring enemies. This includes the curtain wall with the parapet walk.
The years passed and the castle became a palace in the course of the 16th century. The four smaller round towers and impressive Renaissance frescoes mark the changes made during this phase.

In the early 1920s, the Bozen State Archives found a home with history in the then-empty castle, before the ravages of time had finally taken their toll and the castle was declared dilapidated in the 1970s. The archive disappeared, and it took some time for new life to return to the old walls. In the 1980s, the castle was carefully renovated. However, there was no longer a lord of the castle who set up his residence here – the walls remained uninhabited. Nowadays, the castle serves as a center for events (congresses, weddings, company parties), but is also open to visitors upon request.

The Römersaal with its elaborately painted wooden ceiling and the wall frescoes created in the grisaille technique offers a noble ambiance from the 16th century. The Philosopher's Corridor with its eccentric drawings raises mysterious questions. Here you can see, for example, a wall painting of the reformer Johannes Calvin – only a pseudonym was given to him, as they did not want to antagonize the Catholic Church. In the castle's loggia, you can recognize the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe in a wall painting, who are said to have inspired William Shakespeare to one of the most tragic love stories in world literature. You will also find one of the extremely mysterious Sator squares, in which Latin words were arranged in the form of a palindrome, so that they always produce the same expressions, whether read forwards, backwards, horizontally, or vertically. The meaning of the text remains unclear to this day, and the oldest squares were found on a column in the ancient city of Pompeii.

From the center of Bozen, the castle can be reached on foot in a short time via Claudia de' Medici Street. Visits are only possible by appointment and as part of a guided tour. If you are interested in exploring the old, historical walls from the inside, you can contact the Bozen Castles Foundation.

The aforementioned promenade along the river, the Talfer, now serves as a recreational area – lawns, sports facilities, and the old wooden bridge are its characteristics, making it a worthwhile destination. Turn your gaze to the surrounding mountains and let the meditative sound of the water take you into a dream world – that's a good plan for finding relaxation.