Castle Tyrol
Encyclopedia
Tirol Castle or Castle Tyrol is a castle near Meran, Italy
. It was the ancestral seat of the counts of Tyrol
and gave the region of Tyrol its name.
have been identified. Archeologists have excavated a church with three apse
s dating from the early Christian period.
The first castle was built before 1100. The second construction phase including the keep
dates to 1139/40. A third phase of construction took place in the second half of the 13th century under Count Meinhard II
. The castle was the seat of Tyrol's sovereigns until 1420, when Duke Frederick IV
moved the seat to Innsbruck
.
In modern times parts of the castle fell into the so-called "Köstengraben", a steep gorge. It was even sold in order to be used as a quarry. In the 19th century the castle was restored; the keep was rebuilt in 1904.
Regarding art history, the fresco
s of the castle's chapel are of special interest as well as two Romanesque
portals with opulent marble
sculptures showing legendary creatures, religious themes, and geometric ornament
s.
Today, Castle Tyrol houses the South Tyrolean Museum of History. Next to the castle there is a falconry
with a nursing ward for birds of prey.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was the ancestral seat of the counts of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
and gave the region of Tyrol its name.
History
The castle hill has been inhabited since ancient times. Several artefacts and one field of graves from the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
have been identified. Archeologists have excavated a church with three apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s dating from the early Christian period.
The first castle was built before 1100. The second construction phase including the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
dates to 1139/40. A third phase of construction took place in the second half of the 13th century under Count Meinhard II
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
. The castle was the seat of Tyrol's sovereigns until 1420, when Duke Frederick IV
Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
Frederick IV, Duke of Further Austria , also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, was the Habsburg duke of Further Austria from 1402, and Count of Tyrol from 1406, until his death...
moved the seat to Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
.
In modern times parts of the castle fell into the so-called "Köstengraben", a steep gorge. It was even sold in order to be used as a quarry. In the 19th century the castle was restored; the keep was rebuilt in 1904.
Regarding art history, the fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s of the castle's chapel are of special interest as well as two Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
portals with opulent marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
sculptures showing legendary creatures, religious themes, and geometric ornament
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
s.
Today, Castle Tyrol houses the South Tyrolean Museum of History. Next to the castle there is a falconry
Falconry
Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
with a nursing ward for birds of prey.