Festenstein Castle (also Burg Festenstein, Ruine Festenstein, Schloss Festenstein, Castelforte, and Castel Forte) is a 13th-century castle ruin, located above
Andrian
Andrian may refer to:
*Andrian, South Tyrol, an Italian commune
* Andrian (name)
* -andrian, a botanical suffix
* SS ''Andrian'', a British cargo ship
*''The Bacchanal of the Andrians'', an oil painting by Titian
See also
*Adrian
Adrian is a for ...
in
South Tyrol
South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...
, in northern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It is perched on a rocky outcrop called the
Gaider Schlucht, and can only be reached via a steep mountain climb. The castle was built around the mid-13th century, and was used as a stronghold by the many warlords of the area. It was saved from further deterioration in 2008.
History
The exact date Festenstein castle was built is not known. It is mentioned in written documents in the mid-13th century, and had already been built by the time the Counts of
Eppan took possession. They used it as a stronghold and to collect taxes from nearby farms. The castle was damaged at some point, and repairs began in 1383, when it became the property of the Lords of
Villanders
Villanders (; ) is a village and ''comune'' in South Tyrol in northern Italy with 1,875 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2013). It is located in the Eisack Valley above Klausen.
Geography
Villanders lies on the ''Villanderer Berg'' (Mountain of ...
. The castle changed hands many times, belonging to the Sparrenberger family in the 15th century, and the Lords Lanser di Appiano between 1654 and 1818. In 2008,
Count Meinhard Khuen von Belasi purchased the ruins, and with the South Tyrolean Office for Cultural Heritage, restoration was begun to protect the castle from further deterioration.
References
*
Castles in South Tyrol
Establishments in the Princely County of Tyrol
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