Churburg in Schluderns: castle, armoury and arcade walk

Around 1250 the upper Vinschgau lay within the sphere of the Bishop of Chur, whose opponents were the lords of Matsch. A feud between the two was settled in 1253; the settlement gave Bishop Heinrich of Montfort the right to build a castle between Chiavenna and Latsch. He chose a hill at the entrance to the Matsch valley. As the first document naming Churburg the family gives 21 March 1259; building probably began around 1254. The lords of Matsch probably already held the castle as a fief in 1297.

In 1504 Gaudenz of Matsch died without male heirs and left the castle to the sons of his sister Barbara, widow of Jakob IV Trapp. That began the Churburg line of the Trapp, which continues today. The sources differ in detail: the castle gives 1504, Wikipedia adds a treaty of 1537 that is said to have settled ownership finally. That the family has held the castle for over 500 years is beyond doubt.

From a Romanesque fortress with a curtain wall, wall walk, keep and palas, the 16th century made a complex with several defensive rings, a gate tower and a bell tower, the latter finished in 1537, and then a Renaissance castle. In the 18th century a baroque guest wing was added. In 1889 Count Gotthard Trapp had the former fodder house converted into the armoury, and in 1908 the paintings in the arcade walk were uncovered, which had been whitewashed in the 18th century.

The armoury is the centrepiece. According to Wikipedia it holds more than 50 fully preserved suits of armour as well as swords and other edged weapons, enough to equip almost an entire castle garrison; firearms are missing, as they were requisitioned in the Napoleonic wars. A suit of armour about 2.1 m tall from around 1450 stands out, said to have been made by the Milanese armourer Antonio Missaglia. The castle itself calls its collection the most important private armoury; Wikipedia speaks of the largest private armoury in the world.

The arcade walk in the inner courtyard was painted all over in the 16th century, with fables on the walls and a family tree of the Matsch and Trapp in the form of a quince tree on the vault. The tour also takes in the garden on three terraces, the lowest once a tournament ground, the St James room with its lavishly painted ceiling, the Matsch hall with family portraits, the St James chapel, the old Romanesque chapel, a stable, a dungeon and a stretch of wall walk. A canopy organ of 1559 with almost all its pipes original is considered the oldest playable organ in South Tyrol.

The castle can be visited only with a guided tour. It lasts about an hour; for the whole stay allow a good hour and a quarter. Tours are given in German and Italian, in English on request. Entry begins shortly before the tour starts. You can book tickets online; data is then passed to an external provider, as the castle website states expressly.

Churburg is not open all year: the season runs from spring into November, in season there is one closing day a week, and individual days stay closed. Days, tour times and admission change and are on churburg.com. Private photography is allowed, but not during the guides' explanations, and without flash and without film or audio recording. Sturdy, sure-footed shoes make sense; stilettos are unsuitable. As a private building the castle is not accessible without barriers.

The castle can only be visited in season; then it is a good plan for a day when the mountains do not suit, because the tour leads largely through interiors. In late summer the South Tyrol Knights' Games take place below the castle, a multi-day medieval festival with tournament, camp life and market; the organiser gives the dates.

The castle recommends a visit for children from about four years; parents should ensure quiet during the tour. Armour, dungeon and stable appeal to children. You can leave pushchairs at the entrance; inside the castle baby carriers are more useful. Dogs are not allowed in the castle or during the tour, except very small dogs in carrier bags. If you travel with a dog, take turns on the tour or choose another destination.

In the centre of Schluderns stands the Vintschger Museum, the valley museum of the middle and upper Vinschgau, opened in 1997. Its permanent exhibitions include “WasserWosser” on the irrigation channels, “Archaischer Vinschgau” on the excavations at the Ganglegg above the village and an exhibition on the Swabian children. It goes well with a walk along the Leitenwaal, linked below.

For a meal, Schluderns and nearby Glurns are the places to look; Glurns Marketing lists the businesses there, and you will find the names on our Glurns page. Please ask the businesses about opening hours.

Glurns is about ten minutes away, and Burgeis with Marienberg Abbey is on the way. Mals with St Benedict and its towers is a stop on the way back; if you like stone and the history of technology, drive on to Laas for the marble.

From Prämajur you drive about 25 minutes, past Burgeis and Mals. By train and bus the castle can be reached without a car: line 277 to Mals, then the Vinschgau railway to Schluderns and on foot uphill. Book the tour online beforehand if you want to come on a particular day.

By car: From Prämajur to Burgeis, then follow the main road down the valley through Mals to Schluderns. It is about 15 kilometres. The castle stands above the village; there is a visitor car park by the castle for cars, with more spaces at the station and in the centre of Schluderns.

By bus and train: Bus 277 from Prämajur to Mals station, then the Vinschgau railway to Schluderns. From Schluderns station it is about a 15-minute walk to the castle entrance. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, train and bus are included in your stay.