Fischburg

However, the fortifications of Fischburg were never really capable of deterring a serious attack. Fischburg was built in the years 1622 to 1641, a time when the emphasis was already on comfortable and pleasant living conditions. The choice of building style, as a medieval castle, was probably more based on a sense of tradition and personal taste of the owner, Engelhard Dietrich von Wolkenstein-Trostburg. As the preserved inventories show, plenty of hunting weapons were stored in the castle, but not all that many munitions.

The name of Fischburg is explained by the fish ponds surrounding the castle, where fish were bred for the castle's dinner tables. Fischburg castle continued to be owned by the Wolkenstein dynasty until 1863 when Leopold, count of Wolkenstein-Trostburg, donated the building to the municipality of St Christina in Val Gardena as a poorhouse and home for the elderly. However, the local government did very little to maintain the building and it deteriorated until it was sold to Baron Carlo Franchetti in 1926. The new owner spent considerable sums of money to restore the castle. Fischburg castle is still in private ownership and not open to the public.