Castelchiaro

Castelchiaro seems to mount guard over Lake Caldaro.

video: Caldaro

Located at the lakeside of Lake Caldaro and surrounded by typical South Tyrolean vineyards in the south of the province, there is the municipality of Caldaro. This area is characterised by a large number of castles, ruins and residences that are popular excursion destinations. The Mendola funicular, considered the steepest and longest funicular railway of Europe, takes you to the Passo della Mendola, which is an ideal starting point for hikes, making you experience nature at close range.
The ruin of Castelchiaro

Castelchiaro is considered to be the symbol of the area round Lake Caldaro, the warmest lake for bathing in the Alps - Foto: ED, © Peer
The ruin of Castelchiaro

The castle ruin is easily reachable on an easy path that is also ideal for children - Foto: ED, © Peer
The ruin of Castelchiaro

From 1610 the castle was no longer inhabited and started deteriorating - Foto: ED, © Peer
The ruin of Castelchiaro

Autumn enveloping the lake and Castelchiaro - Foto: EMS, © Peer
The ruin of Castelchiaro

This is Castelchiaro seen from Vadena. In the foreground you can recognize another ruin, which is Castel Varco - Foto: AT, © Peer

The ruin of Castelchiaro above Lake Caldaro towers into the sky in the surroundings of Castel Varco in the locality of Vadena. Probably the castle has been constructed in 1250 by the Lords of Rottenburg, but the exact date has not been documented. The Provincial Castle Institute “Südtiroler Burgeninstitut” even proceeds on the assumption that it has been constructed around 1200.

The castle complex has been protected by a circular wall which protected the castle complex from assaults. Due to the fact that the position of the castle is not really well-protected it has presumably been constructed in order to impress. Numerous castles of the Rottenburg leadership have been razed after the conflicts with the Earls Friedrich IV of Tyrol in 1410, not Castelchiaro, which was handed over to the sovereigns and in the following years was lent to officials of Caldaro.

After 1610 Castelchiaro remained uninhabited and started decaying. Only in the 20th century the walls of the ruins were conserved. Castelchiaro consists of a circular wall inside which there were several residential buildings. However, today these buildings could only be preserved to some extend. However, there are also well-preserved rests of the great hall with frescos dating back to the 15th century.