Altfinstermünz Fortress: dolomitic lime as a binder for mortars and plasters in various construction phases

BASIC INFORMATION

ACCESSIBILITY: external and internal
MUNICIPALITY: Nauders
ADDRESS: Altfinstermünz 180, 6543 Nauders
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 46.929198, 10.487590
PROVINCE: North Tirol

DIRECTIONS: You can reach the fortress from Innsbruck via the Inntal A12 motorway. Take the Landeck exit and follow the Reschen main road to the former Hochfinstermünz inn just before the village of Nauders where you can park. You can go down a steep path to the castle (15 minutes on foot). Alternative parking is available in the parish of Pfunds (Via Claudiasee). From there you can take a hiking trail to Altfinstermünz. From Bolzano you can reach the fortress via the SS38 and SS40 in the direction of Tyrol. Follow the Resia Pass and cross the municipality of Nauders to the former Gasthof Hochfinstermünz. There are limited parking spaces and a paved path to the fortress.

DESCRIPTION

The medieval customs and judicial station Finstermünz (since 1856 Altfinstermünz, Vestmezia) is located at the foot of the narrow gorge of the same name near Nauders in the upper Inn valley. In this place, the River Inn forms the natural border between Tyrol (Austria) and the Canton of Grisons (Switzerland). Along this border ran the Via Claudia Augusta, built by the Romans, which crossed the main Alpine ridge. With the construction of the new road in 1854 over the Inn towards the Resia Pass on the border with South Tyrol, the border fortress lost its function and consequently its importance. Today the ensemble of buildings stands as a monument of bygone times as the largest publicly owned cultural area in the Eastern Alps managed by the Altfinstermünz Association. Architectural studies on the fortress have shown that dolomitic lime was probably used as a binder for interior plasters and mortars for exteriors in both the Baroque and Renaissance periods. A field lime kiln (calchera) is still part of the fortress today. With it, the dolomite stone could be transformed into lime through a cooking process that lasted, as per tradition, for several days; the same procedure is still used today, thus contributing to the conservation of this ancient technique and to the creation of dolomite lime for the maintenance of the historical building fabric.

Altfinstermünz fortress

The Kundlburg ruin - dolomite rock as a building stone

BASIC INFORMATION

ACCESSIBILITY: freely accessible
MUNICIPALITY: Kundl
ADDRESS: Schießstandweg
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 47.460333, 11.990333
PROVINCE: North Tyrol

DIRECTIONS: The ruins of the castle lie on a rocky cliff overlooking the entrance of the Kundler gorge. You can reach the demolished castle via the A12 Inntal motorway; take the exit Wörgl-West and proceed on the B171 to Kundl. Then turn on Schießstandweg and follow it until its end. From there, follow the uphill forest path on foot for 20 minutes.

DESCRIPTION

The Kundlburg once spread over the entire hill area above the "Kundler Klamm" (or the "Kundl gorge"); nowadays only some parts of the curtain wall (segments of the western wall) and the castle keep remain intact. The first documentary mention of Kundlburg dates back to the year 1213, but it seems that the castle must have been given over to ruin already in the fifteenth century. The castle masonry was built from hardly hewn stones (including dolomite rock), which probably came from the river "Wildschönauer Ache". The "Wildschönauer Ache" flows through the "Kundler Klamm" dolomitic rock massif before it bursts into the Inn Valley and flows into the Inn. The present-day municipality of Kundl lies over the alluvial cone created at the gorge's entrance over time.

The still preserved remains of the Kundlburg castle keep above the gorge.

BASIC INFORMATION

LOCATION

MUNICIPALITY: Livinallongo del Col di Lana
ADDRESS: Castello Village
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 46.504575, 11.989157

ACCESSIBILITY

• wheelchair accessibility: VISUAL of the whole complex / MOTORY only the external
• recommended season: all year
• directions to reach the starting point: Andraz Castle is located on the S.R. 48. For those coming from the south, from the Cerdadoi junction, continue towards Cortina d'Ampezzo for the Falzarago Pass and after a few bends you can see the ruins of the ancient castle. It can be reached along a short stretch of road, which from the main one, turns left (follow for Castello). For those coming from the north, follow the Falzarego Pass in the direction of Caprile.

HOURS AND CONTACTS

orari: summer (entrance fee)
telephone: Phone 1: 334 3346680 / Phone 2: 0436 7193 (Municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana)
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
website: www.castellodiandraz.it

DESCRIPTION

The ancient castle is perched on a gigantic dolomite boulder brought to its current location by glacial movement. The manor rises to approximately 30 metres on its south side situated at 1,750 m above sea level. After having been renovated and covered in iron and glass, it became home to the Museum dedicated to the historical events of Andraz and its surrounding territory. The lands have always been influenced by the presence and activities in siderite-magnesite ores in Fursil at Colle Santa Lucia owned by the Prince-Bishopric of Brixen. The place where the castle rises, looming over the river bearing the same name, used to be crucial for controlling the winding roads that connect the northern and the southern lands. "Andraz", the Italian name for the location, seems to derive from the word for "cavity" which, in turn, alludes to the primitive tunnel which once served as a defensive structure.
The castle is considered to be a medieval structure as some of the first historical references go back to the dawn of the second millennium, even though some structural elements can be traced back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The castle itself has been in use up until the beginning of the nineteenth century, with further repairs and a recent restoration between 1986 and 2002. One of its more famous dwellers was Nicolò Cusano who resided there in his function as Bishop of Brixen from 1457 till 1460. The most acclaimed craftsmen who worked at the castle were the Comacini masters - Jacomo, Antonio and Pedro - towards the last quarter of the fourteenth century who were already famous for their works throughout the Alpine region. The castle was built on several overlapping planes exploiting the natural shape and tilt of the rocky spur below. It offers single access through a drawbridge and a winch for delivery of supplies. The upper level hosted a small church, a well, cellars, prisons, grain storerooms, kitchen premises, living rooms and a captain's room. During one excavation attempt in the eastern part of the castle, the space in the sacred area turned out to be paved with cobblestones made of dolomite.

Andraz Castle (photo by Giacomo De Donà)

Rattenberg Castle - dolomite stone as building stone

BASIC INFORMATION

ACCESSIBILITY: from the outside
MUNICIPALITY: Rattenberg
ADDRESS: n.a.
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 47.439086, 11.893368
PROVINCE: North Tyrol

DIRECTIONS: You can reach the Rattenberg castle ruin via the Inntal motorway A12. Proceed to exit Kramsach, then follow the Kramsacher highway and cross the river Inn. At the roundabout take the fourth exit (Rattenberg) and then turn left onto the Südtirolerstraße. Starting from P1 Rattenberg car park, follow the signposts "Zum Schlossberg" ("to the castle hill") on foot, and after about 15 minutes you will reach the castle complex.

DESCRIPTION

The precipice of the southern foothills of the Kitzbühel Alps emerges abruptly over the river Inn right in the midst of the Inn Valley, between Wörgl and Schwaz. The strategically important position of this dolomite precipice led to its fortification. A descendant of the Bavarian aristocratic family of Rapotonen started the construction of a castle around the year 1000. From the original fortification complex situated in the former border area between Bavaria and Tyrol there are still some preserved parts of the ring wall, and the Romanesque castle keep, for the construction of which was used, among other things, dolomite stone. In the course of its eventful history, the castle which belonged to Bavaria, was pledged several times to Tyrol, before it finally became part of Tyrol in 1504 under the rule of Emperor Maximilian I. Its strategically important location in the Inn valley became the reason for the expansion of the fortress in the 16th century until it became a modern fortress similar to Kufstein. The Rattenberg castle served as a fortress until the eighteenth century before it was given over to ruin. The municipality of Rattenberg acquired the castle ruins in 1905 and has carried out numerous works aimed at the preservation and restoration of the complex ever since.

The Rattenberg castle keep with square floor-plan and stonework of dolomite stone.

BASIC INFORMATION

LOCATION

municipality: Pieve di Cadore
address: Via Pier Fortunato Calvi
geographic coordinates: 46.426371, 12.376820

ACCESSIBILITY

• wheelchair accessibility: accessible
• recommended season: all year
• directions to reach the starting point: the path begins next to the Eyewear Museum

INFORMATION

Opening hours: open every day during exhibitions
Telephone: 0435 780078
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DESCRIPTION

The elevation of Montericco, in the municipality of Pieve di Cadore, is located at the confluence of the valleys formed by the rivers Boite and Piave at altitude 953 m. Several hundred meters behind it is situated Batteria Castello, which together with the fort used to form an elaborate defensive system called Cadore-Maè Fortress, erected to protect the territory against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The forts on Monte Ricco were created by the young Kingdom of Italy in the late 1800s.
The area was probably the site of a "castelliere" (fortified borough) already in pre-Roman times. It later became the location where the Castle of Pieve was erected and followed as a venue of the two military forts - Batteria Castello and Fort Monte Ricco - positioned over the two adjoining hills.
Its original stones were used for the expansion of the Archdeacon's Church on the town square, dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary, as well as for the military structures themselves.
A dirt road leading to the Fort allows glimpses to the quarry beneath from which came the dolomite rock used for its construction.
In its final setup, the Fort housed four cannons and four guns for quick shooting which, together with the caponise, protected the moat. The interior hosted a garrison of eighty men with enough space for the storage of supplies, ammunition and a magazine. Furthermore, one can still see the hallway, the guardhouse with the control room, the restrooms, the service rooms and several storage premises. The construction technique used for building was to create barrel-vaulted ceilings, supported by bricks set on thick stone walls.
Recently restored, the Fort houses contemporary art exhibitions and laboratories.

Fort Monte Ricco (photo by Giacomo De Donà)

BASIC INFORMATION

LOCATION:

municipality: Cortina d’Ampezzo (BL)
address: Strada Statale 51 di Alemagna
geographic coordinates: 46°35′48, 12°06′46

ACCESSIBILITY

• wheelchair accessibility: not accessible
• recommended season: summer/autumn
• directions to reach the starting point: north of Cortina, shortly after Fiames, there is a path on the right that leads to the remains of the castle.

DESCRIPTION

The castle was first mentioned in 1156, whereas Botestagno (German: Botenstein) makes its first appearance in 1175.

What is now visible are the ruins of the Botestagno Castle located in the Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites. The castle ruins have perched on a cliff that dominates the valleys that converge beneath it: the valleys of the rivers Boite and Felizon, approximately six kilometres to the north from the centre of Cortina, at 1,513 m. For centuries the castle served as a strategic stakeout of the Felizon valley for whoever wished to dominate it and to keep a vigilant eye on the safety of travellers. With its steep defensive rock walls, the castle used to oversee the political borders by its being the Most Serene Republic's natural northern frontier. Moreover, it was also a mandatory stopover on the Alemagna road - an important connecting route to Germany.

The construction of the castle can be traced back to the beginning of the eleventh century, although according to the current dating it may originate from around 1300. Substantial renovations were made in 1567 and again in 1619; the moat area was modified during World War I to adapt to the military necessities of the time. Unfortunately, only a few of the archaeological layers have remained intact.

The ancient castle was abandoned in the second half of the eighteenth century. It was razed to the ground shortly after so that its silhouette is unrecognisable from the valley below.

From the scientist involved in the project, we know that all elements of the fortification scrutinised until now are made of either hewn stones brought from the Main Dolomite or large pebbles, similar to those found inside the thick fluvioglacial cover that had shaped the slope north of the cliff. The entirety of the material used for the construction of the castle was available therefore either on-site or in immediate proximity.

The ruins of the Castle (photo by Giacomo De Donà)

BASIC INFORMATION

LOCATION

municipality: Quero Vas (BL)
address: locality Santa Maria, Quero
geographic coordinates: 45.945667, 11.922807

ACCESSIBILITY

• wheelchair accessibility: external accessibility
• recommended season: all year
• directions to reach the starting point: it is easily accessible via the Feltrina SR348 state road going to Treviso. The same route can reach the castle at km 41, near the hamlet of S. Maria (at km 42.6), continue riding on the old road which is slightly lower than via Feltrina, leaving the railway on the side.

INFORMATION

telephone: 0439/788051

DESCRIPTION

The Castelnovo fortress made of dolomitic limestone is perched on the narrow gorge of river Piave.  Its original function was to serve as a checkpoint on both land and water for traffic going to and from the Treviso plains. Built during the fourteenth century with military and commercial purposes in mind, it later became a castle-palace. The Somaschi Fathers purchased the castle in 1924, keeping its original layout, and it has remained a house of prayer ever since. Castelnovo (Italian for "new castle") derives its name from a previous fortress located further south, which it replaced in its function after it was raided and destroyed by the militia forces of Gherardo de Taccoli, Bishop of Belluno, in 1196.  Captain Jacopo Crivelli of Verona, commissioned by the Most Serene Republic, built the castle's current structure. The Republic of Venice ruled over the castle right until its fall with the help of castellans, or stewards, who represented the Venitian patrician families and exercised their powers of jurisdiction over the whole parish of Quero during their biannual mandate.

Girolamo Miani, the founder of the Order of the Somaschi Fathers and brother of Luca, Overseer of the Republic of Venice, used to live here. In the centuries to come, it was subject to many changes of ownership as well as plundering, and it suffered severe damage during the First World War. The fortress consists of a central structure with a vault for the passage of wagons and pedestrians, which could be closed with gates and accessed by drawbridges. The early sixteenth century saw the construction of a tower on Piave's left bank (opposite the fortress) as a supervision outpost. It was also necessary for stretching an iron chain across the river to block the traffic of rafts along the river Piave. The tower was accidentally destroyed in 1885. Some significant repairs on the castle's exterior have been underway as of 2009.

Castelnuovo Castle and the Piave river (photo by Giacomo De Donà)