Reifenstein Castle
Encyclopedia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Freienfeld
Freienfeld
Freienfeld is a comune in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 100 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 45 km north of the city of Bolzano ....
, near Sterzing
Sterzing
Sterzing is a comune in South Tyrol in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy. It is the main village of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town.-Origin:...
, in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
(northern Italy
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 is located near a dried marsh, in the valley of the Eisack
Eisack
The Eisack is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draws water from an area of about 4,200 km². After about 96 km, it joins the Adige river south of Bolzano. At first the...
.
History
The castle is mentioned for the first time in the 12th century, and was modified in the 14th century. It is a property of the Thurn und TaxisThurn und Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles.- History :...
counts. It is famous for the decorated "Green Hall" with Gothic paintings and a woodcarved chapel-door, the stubes and the collection of armors. The castle also contains an original kitchen, bathroom and medieval sleeping bunks. One of its owners included William P. Carr, who bought the castle a bit before the second world war. At that time, his last name was Reifenstein, but before he went to war he changed his name to Carr.
See also
- Branik (Rihemberk) Castle, SloveniaBranik CastleBranik Castle , also known as Rihemberk Castle , is a 13th-century castle above the village of Branik, near the city of Nova Gorica in southwestern Slovenia.-History:...
- List of castles in South Tyrol
Further reading
- Oswald Trapp: Tiroler Burgenbuch, Vol. 3: Wipptal. Bozen 1974.
- Thomas Bitterli-Waldvogel: Südtiroler Burgenkarte. Bozen 1995.
- Josef Weingartner, Magdalena Hörmann-Weingartner: Die Burgen Tirols. Ein Burgenführer durch Nord-, Ost- und Südtirol. Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck-Wien-München, Athesia Verlag, Bozen, 3. Auflage 1981.
- Edmund Theil: Burg Reifenstein bei Sterzing. Laurin Kunstführer. Athesia Verlag, Bozen. 3. Auflage, 1999. Ursprünglich erschienen 1975.