Trostburg Castle

Almost everyone who has visited this area knows of Trostburg Castle, majestically situated on the eastern hillside above Ponte Gardena at the entrance to Val Gardena. But have you actually visited it? Opened to the public in 1977, Trostburg Castle is well worth a visit. Its history dates back to the 12th century. In 1173, it was the seat of a certain Cunrath de Trosperch, an ancestor of the Lords of Kastelruth.

Over the centuries, the castle belonged to the Lords of Velthurns and the Lords of Villanders. From the 14th to the 20th century, it served as the aristocratic estate of the Lords of Wolkenstein-Trostburg. Despite the nobility's efforts to preserve the building, its deterioration seemed inevitable. Fortunately, thanks to a private initiative of the South Tyrolean Castles Institute (Südtiroler Burgeninstitut), the castle was saved from ruin.

Trostburg Castle is the ancestral home of the late medieval minstrel Oswald von Wolkenstein (1377-1445). It has also served as a filming location, notably as the primary setting for a German movie by Steffen Zacke about a princess. Today, it houses the South Tyrolean Castles Institute and, since 2005, the South Tyrolean Castles Museum. The complex can be visited as part of a guided tour and presents an intriguing permanent exhibition called "Castles, Historical Buildings," featuring scale models of South Tyrolean castles.