Location: Bolzano-Bozen Map
Constructed: 1250
Schloss Brunnenburg is located in the South Tyrol in Northern Italy. It was constructed in 1250. Schloss Brunnenburg name is derived from one of its many owners. In 1356 its was bought by Heinrich and Johann von Bopfinger. Heinrich became in the region for being a pastor of Tyrol and a Captain of the country. In 1421 Schloss Brunnenburg was bought by the chaplain of Duke Frederick Tascavuota, Ulrich Putsch who later became a bishop of Diocese of Brixen. In the middle of the twentieth century the castle was reconstructed and renovated by Russian Egyptologist Boris de Rachewiltz and his wife Mary.
The castle was built in 1241, then in the territory of the diocese of
Chur, by Wilhelm Tarant in the service of Count Albert III of Tyrol.
Over time it was destroyed several times and then rebuilt. The castle
probably owes its name to a spring which could have existed in the
vicinity of the castle; also the attestations of the castle such as
Prunnenberch in 1285 and Brunnberg in 1437 suggest this etymology.
Another hypothesis makes the name of the castle derive from that of one
of its many owners.
In 1356 it was bought by the brothers
Heinrich and Johann von Bopfingen. Heinrich was parish priest of Tyrol,
delegate of Ludwig von Brandenburg and County Captain of Tyrol (until
1359); Johann was nicknamed the troubadour (Minnesänger).
In 1421
the castle was bought by the chaplain of Duke Federico Tascavuota,
Ulrich Putsch, who later became bishop of the Diocese of Bressanone.
In 1457 the castle was bought by Hans (or Johann) von Kripp, to whom
it belonged until 1812, even if already in 1600 the fortification was
described as an "old ruined castle".
In 1705 the farmer Gregor
Hofer began to restore the castle, carrying out some structural work.
In 1884 another farmer, Michael Sonnenburger, burgomaster of Tyrol,
took possession of the castle. It was in 1889 that the shooting gallery
was inaugurated, with a grand parade by Schützen, and as the guest of
honor Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was later assassinated in Sarajevo
in 1914.
In 1903 the castle was bought by Karl Schwwickert, an
industrialist from Pforzheim (in the Rhineland), who began a
restoration, sparing no means and resources. This restoration, however,
radically transformed the structure of the castle, which was almost
redesigned following the taste of the new owner (a vague reference to
the neo-Gothic style can be seen). The work was never finished due to
the death of Schwwickert (1927), and the castle again fell into
disrepair.
In 1955 the castle was bought by Prince Boris de
Rachewiltz (professor and Egyptologist), who in 1946 had married Mary,
the daughter of the American poet Ezra Pound and Olga Rudge. Pound
resided there from 1958 until his death. During the time he spent at the
castle, the poet composed the last 6 of his 116 Cantos.
"the
temple is sacred because it is not for sale"
(Ezra Pound, Canto 97)
Became the Brunnenburg Agricultural Museum (Landwirtschaftsmuseum
Brunnenburg) in 1974, the castle illustrates the customs and ways of
working of the farmers in the area, and can currently be visited every
day, from April to October.
The castle also houses an Ezra Pound
Center for Literature, linked to the University of New Orleans (USA).