- Castle Tyrol
Castle Tyrol or "Tirol castle" ( _de. Schloss Tirol, _it. Castel Tirolo) is a castle near
Merano ,Italy . It was the ancestral seat of the counts ofTyrol and gave the region its name.The castle hill has been colonised since ancient times. Several artefacts and one field of graves from early
Middle Ages were found, too. Thearcheologist s also excavated a church from early Christianity with threeapse s.The first castle was built before 1100. The second construction phase including the
keep was dated 1139/40. A third phase of construction took place in the second half of the 13th century under Count Meinhard II. Until 1420 the castle was the seat of Tyrol's sovereigns, then Duke Frederick IV moved the seat toInnsbruck .In modern times parts of the castle tumbled down or fell into the so-called "Köstengraben", a steep gorge. It was even sold in order to be used as a quarry. In the 19th century the castle was restored; the keep was rebuilt in 1904.
Regarding art history, the
fresco s of the castle's chapel are of special interest as well as theRomanic portals with its opulentmarble sculptures, which depict legendary creatures, religious themes, and geometricornament s.Today Castle Tyrol is the seat of the
South Tyrolean Museum of History . Next to the castle there is afalconry with a nursing ward for birds of prey.External links
* [http://www.schlosstirol.it Official website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.