Castelforte Ruins

Description

Castelforte (Festenstein) is a site with castle ruins located west of Andrian. The ruins lie atop the steep porphyry cliffs of the Gaido Gorge, about 450 m above the Adige Valley in the municipality of Eppan.

The original castle’s exact date of construction is not known, nor is the name of the initial owner. The castle was first recorded around 1220. In 1503, it was destroyed in a fire, and subsequently rebuilt. Around the mid-17th century, ownership of the castle was passed on to a man by the name of Franz Lanser. Around 1910, a German tax advisor purchased the property and had the ruins restored. A single-storey tower was built atop the rocky spur, and the cliffside formed the rear section of the residence, which also had an interior court and risalit with embrasures.

During the Middle Ages, a unique drawbridge structure provided access to the first square-shaped portal set a few meters off the ground; however, nothing is left of it today. After this first entrance (which is now closed), one had to go up a steep passageway between the protective walls along the cliff, only to pass through two more gates before finally reaching the narrow court inside.

Position on map