Description of the attraction
Castel Gardena Castle, also known as Fishburg, is located at the foot of the Sassolungo mountain peak in the town of Santa Cristina Valgardena in the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige. The original name of the castle - Fishburg - means "fish castle" and comes from the numerous small lakes, which the first owner of the castle ordered to dig for trout breeding.
Castello Gardena was built in 1641 on the initiative of the Counts of Wolkenstein. Probably, the architect and sculptor from Schongau Hans Reichle, a student of Giambologna, took part in the creation of the project of the castle in 1625. He designed the castle as a residential residence and a hunting lodge in the Renaissance style, adding some of the architectural elements of the fortified fortress. As mentioned above, the German name of the castle - Fischburg - owes its origin to one of the Counts of Wolkenstein, a passionate fisherman, on whose order several ponds were dug in the vicinity for breeding trout. According to contemporaries, fishing was a real pleasure for the count.
Castello Gardena stands behind a wooded slope on which the Selva and Santa Cristina ski slopes have already been laid today. Today the castle belongs to the family of Baron Andrea Franchetti, who lives here during the summer. That is why the castle is closed to the public, although in summer concerts are organized in its courtyard on the occasion of the Walgardenamusica music festival.
Castello Gardena, as well as the bell tower of the local church, are depicted on the coat of arms of the town of Santa Cristina Valgardena. In addition to them, here you can see the small Bergkapelle chapel, built in the 1930s on Mount Pana by the Austrian architect Franz Baumann - it attracts attention with its strict outlines inscribed in the surrounding Alpine landscape.
