Castello di Brunico

Brunico Castle is located on a hill (Kühbergl) in the old town of Brunico in Val Pusteria, in South Tyrol.

Built by the bishop of Bressanone Bruno von Kirchberg to defend his possessions, the castle was first mentioned in 1271 as the castrum Brunekem, laying the foundations for the foundation of the city of Brunico only afterwards. Expansion was carried out between 1323 and 1326 with the bishop Albert von Enna, and between 1427 and 1437 on the orders of bishop Ulrich Putsch, while it was renewed by the bishop Christoph von Schroffenstein during the period between 1509 and 1521.

The castle is an important part of the city, now as centuries ago, and the city chronicles testify that within its walls it hosted famous names, such as Emperor Maximilian I and Emperor Charles V.

The high door on the north side is walled up, but one can easily sense that it was once important access and that the tower was inhabited. The south entrance, originally accessible only by the drawbridge, consists of a late Gothic portal, and on the tower above you can see the coat of arms of Bishop Andreas von Österreich, which dates back to the period between 1591 and 1600.

The main entrance to the castle is a late Gothic portal from 1584, which was once only accessible via a drawbridge. Passed through the portal you get to the inner courtyard and to the rooms where you can admire the many coats of arms of the bishops who have lived here over the centuries. The bishop rooms, spacious and bright, were renovated during the last restoration of 1900 according to the taste of the era: in the living room you can see a coffered ceiling and a floor decorated with wood carvings and in each room there is a characteristic stove of stucco.

There is also a chapel, built during the restoration of 1900. In neo-Gothic style, it houses a triptych depicting scenes from the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and below scenes inspired by the Old Testament.

Over the centuries the manor continued to be used as a residence for the bishops. Coming to the present day in 2004, the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation bought the property from the bishop's canteen, giving up the use of the premises to the City of Brunico.

In 2011 the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner inaugurated his fifth face of the "Messner Mountain Museum" inside the castle of Brunico: an interactive museum dedicated to the mountain and its peoples, where, even before the mere museum exhibition, it was placed particular attention to the exchange of experiences with mountain populations. A museum, called Ripa, where the mountain and the man are at the center of everything, with an exhibition including objects from the different mountain populations like the Tibetans, Hunza, Mongols and Sherpa and that gave birth to a "new" great interest for the castle attracting national and international visitors.