Prösels Castle was built around 1500 by Leonhard of Völs. But the origins date back to the 13th century, when the Lords of Völs were ministerial lords of the bishops of Brixen. As such they were allowed to build a fortress on this hill. The central part of the palace with the Romanesque archway and the keep are the original parts of the 13th century fortress.
Leonhard of Völs was born in 1458. He was the administrator of the salt mines of Hall ( near Innsbruck ) and earned quite a lot of money during his time there. He was married three times, his wives being nobles and quite well-off. So he was able to rebuild the fortress into a prestigious castle around 1500.
The well where the rain-water was gathered goes back to Leonhard's time. The drinking water was fetched at the village well. The so-called ''Sternturm'' ( star tower ) was also built around 1500. Its name comes from the painting on the gable of the tower that shows the signs of the zodiac.
The frescoes above the arcade also date from Leonhard's time. The horseman on the right shows Leonhard of Völs and the one on the left Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. The emperor was a close friend of Leonhard's and under his protection he rose to the highest rank in Tyrol: He became the governor in 1498. Leonhard, in contrast to his ancestors had become famous and powerful.
The subservient farmers had to pay very high taxes. Around 1525 there were peasants´uprisings throughout Tyrol. Also here in Prösels the farmers tried to fight for their rights. They occupied the castle and burnt all documents, thus hoping to cancel all their debts. But after two days they were expelled by Leonhard's men and six of these rebellious farmers were sentenced to death.
Leonhard was also involved in the first witchcraft trials of Tyrol when nine women of the surroundings were convicted of witchcraft. At that time there was a high newborn mortality rate, because the farmers were poor and starving. They accused Leonhard of being responsible for this high mortality rate. So Leonhard found the nine women guilty of witchcraft. The women were tortured an confessed that they had stolen the babies and had ridden on their brooms to the Schlern - the highest mountain near Völs - where they had eaten the babies together with the devil. The origins of many legends about witches come from these stories. The Schlern witches ( Schlernhexen ) have even become symbols for this area also being used as logos to promote tourism.
The castle belonged to the Lords of Völs until 1810. In that year the last member of the family died and the castle remained uninhabited for 50 years. It nearly fell into ruins during those years. From 1860 to 1978 the castle had 14 different owners, which was not an advantage, of course.
From 1887 to 1897 Alexander Franz von Günther from Frankfurt was the owner of the castle. The current appearence of the castle is due to him.
Together with his architect Schuster he restored the castle in the way he supposed it had looked like in the Middle Ages.
The last private owner was a farmer's son from Terlan, a village near Bozen. In 1951 he bought the castle and lived there for 30 years. When he died in 1978, his brothers wanted to sell it but it was very difficult to find a buyer.
Therefore in 1981 the ''Kuratorium Schloss Prösels'' ( Prösels Castle Curatorship ), a society with the aim to preserve the castle, was founded, The castle was restored with the financial help of the local government and was opened to the public. Today concerts and theatre performances take place in the castle. You can get married in the chapel and celebrate your wedding in the Medieval rooms. Contemporary artists exhibit their works. Instead of paying rent they leave a painting or a sculpture in the castle. We are now going to climb the ''Sternturm'' ( Star Tower ) which dates back to Leonhard's age and is 500 years old. On top of the stairs along the keep all the works of art given to the castle by the artists are exhibited.
Prösels Castle 2006 | Last update: 08.10.2007