Castle Kastelbell

Castle Kastelbell, first mentioned in 1238, but probably of earlier origin, was built by the Lords of Montalban. This once very powerful noble family was fought by the Counts of Tyrol at the beginning of the 13th century.

Kastelbell Castle came into the possession of the sovereigns. Since the 14th century Kastelbell has also been the seat of a jurisdiction. After several changes of ownership, the castle passed to the Hendl family as a pawn in 1531. The Hendl family made significant extensions and changes, to which Kastelbell Castle owes its current form.

In the years 1813 and 1824 the castle was largely destroyed by fire. The Counts Hendl only rebuilt a small part for residential purposes and thus the castle was destined to fall into ruin.

In 1956 the building complex was acquired by the Italian state. At the end of a court case that lasted for decades, in which Count Sigmund von Hendl and the Republic of Italy fought for ownership of the castle, a settlement was finally reached: this enabled the state to purchase the castle.

At that time the castle was in a desolate condition. The first restoration work in the 1960s served to prevent the walls from collapsing onto the street below and thus the permanent loss of the castle. Extensive restoration work began under the expert guidance of the Verona Monuments Office, which was completed in 1995 and restored the castle to its usefulness.

In 1999, the state ceded the castle to the municipality of Kastelbell by way of a concession. In 2008, after many years of negotiations, ownership of the castle complex in Kastelbell was transferred from the Italian state to the state of South Tyrol on the basis of the Statute of Autonomy and the implementing regulations, which again handed over management of the castle complex to the municipality of Kastelbell-Tschars by way of a concession.

Since 1999, the municipality of Kastelbell-Tschars has transferred the castle, which was first owned by the state and then by the state, to the "Kuratorium Schloss Kastelbell Genossenschaft" for management and administration.

The aim of this cooperative is the management, maintenance and use of Kastelbell Castle for cultural events (art exhibitions, concerts...). The Board of Trustees also guarantees public access to tours of the monument. Wikimedia : Snowdog Public domain