Description of the attraction
Castle Castello Roncolo, also known as Runkelstein, is located on a rocky outcropping in the town of Ritten near Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol. It was erected in 1237 by the brothers Frederick and Beral, rulers of Wangen, with the permission of the Bishop of Trento Ulderico. In 1274, the castle was seriously damaged during the siege by the Tyrolean Count Meinhard II and was transferred to the ownership of Gottschalk Knoger. A hundred years later, it was bought by the brothers Nikolaus and Franz Wintler, wealthy merchants from Bolzano. Nikolaus was the advisor and treasurer of the Tyrolean Count and Austrian Duke Leopold III, which allowed him to make the purchase and turn the castle into a family residence. By order of the Wintler brothers, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out in Castello Roncolo - new defensive walls were erected, a moat was dug, a water storage tank was built and a number of new rooms were built. In 1390, the construction of a summer house began, which was later painted with frescoes along with the castle. By the way, Castello Roncolo is famous for these frescoes even today. They depict famous literary characters - King Arthur with knights, Tristan and Isolde. The Western and Eastern Wintler palaces are also decorated with frescoes. The author of these masterpieces remained unknown.
In 1407, a conflict broke out between the Austrian Duke and Tyrolean Count Frederick IV and the noble families of Tyrol, which soon escalated into open confrontation. The Wintlers also became involved in hostilities, and Runkelstein was besieged. Nikolaus lost all his fortune and his possessions, and his brother Franz remained the owner of the castle. Later, the castle was bought by the Austrian Archduke Sigismund.
Until 1530, Castello Roncolo was owned by the Habsburg family. By order of Emperor Maximilian I, the building was restored - the frescoes were restored and the rooms were newly furnished. Maximilian also initiated the placement of the family coat of arms on the walls of the castle. However, in 1520, a powder store exploded on the first floor of the tower, as a result of which part of the outer walls, the entrance and the Eastern Palace were damaged, and the tower itself was completely destroyed. A century and a half later, in 1672, a fire completed the destruction of the Eastern Palace, which was never rebuilt.
Then, over many decades, Castello Roncolo passed from hand to hand, until in the early 19th century it was discovered by romantic writers. The first admirer of the castle was the German writer Johann Josef von Goerr. He was soon followed by numerous creators at the court of the Bavarian king Ludwig I, who made Runkelstein a symbol of his time - the period of romanticism. In 1868, the northern wall of the Summer House collapsed, and in 1882 the entire castle was donated to the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. By order of the emperor, the castle was completely restored and ten years later transferred to the ownership of the municipality of Bolzano. The last meticulous restoration work at Castello Roncolo took place in the late 1990s.
