CASTEL JUVAL
login to add to favourites
The museum in Juval Castle in Vinschgau is dedicated to the Magic of the Mountain and houses several fine art collections: a Tibetica collection, a gallery of paintings of the world’s holy mountains, a collection of masks from five continents, a unique Gesar of Ling exhibition, a Tantra Room and the Expedition Cellar. Trained guides are available to explain all the exhibits. There is also a small mountain zoo, home-grown produce at the Schlosswirt tavern, excellent wines in Unterortl and, at the foot of the hill, a farmhouse shop. Juval Castle always makes a big impression in so many ways.
Although the location has had a power of attraction since time immemorial, as shown by prehistorical finds, the castle can only be traced back in historical records as far as 1278, when Hugo von Montalban was lord of the castle. In 1368 the border fortress passed into the possession of the lords of Starkenberg, and in 1540 – after several changes of ownership – it was acquired by the Sinkmoser family. That was the heyday of Juval Castle: Hans von Sinkmoser gave it its present character by converting the fort into a grand Renaissance manor house. But the next generation was unable to maintain the castle, and title to the property was transferred to the Hendl family, who held it for the next two hundred years. A farmer by the name of Josef Blaas bought the ruin in 1813 and lived in it until part of the main building collapsed. Finally, in 1913 it was purchased by a Dutch colonialist called William Rowland, who saved the castle from complete decay. He restored the building with great care, but with the outbreak of the Second World War the castle was again abandoned.
In 1983 Reinhold Messner discovered the castle. In the following years he not only restored the structures with great sensitivity and with respect for the earlier phases of construction but also filled them with new life: Medieval walls were combined with modern architecture and foreign elements, and collections were integrated and presented. Today the castle is both home and museum. The mid 1990s saw the last phase of reconstruction: In order to prevent the further decay of the desolate north wing, it was covered with a glass roof designed by the German architect Robert Danz. The roof provides protection for the old walls while the historical phases of construction are still visible to visitors thanks to the transparent glass and steel design of the roof.