Skip to content
ENITSign in

Reifenstein Castle

Castel Tasso's untouched medieval interiors, never conquered, with an original kitchen and Green Room.

  • Bressanone
  • Castle
Plan your visit
Where
Bressanone
Best for
Untouched medieval interiors
Allow
1 hour

Never conquered and never gutted by fire, Reifenstein Castle, known in Italian as Castel Tasso, preserves its interiors with a completeness few Tyrolean castles can match: an original medieval kitchen with its open hearth, a woodcarved chapel screen, and the Grüner Saal, a Green Room still furnished as when the Teutonic Order held the castle after 1470.

First recorded around 1110, it passed between the Lords of Stilfes, the Trautson family and Duke Sigismund of Austria before the Teutonic Knights rebuilt much of what stands today. Since 1813 the Thurn und Taxis family, who gave the castle its Italian name, have owned it. In 1996, workers found eight Bavarian log coffins from the fourth to eighth centuries near the chapel.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The medieval kitchen13th century

    An original kitchen with an open hearth, unusual to find so complete in a Tyrolean castle.

  2. The Green Room (Grüner Saal)Teutonic Order era, after 1470

    Painted decoration in green, antique furniture, a safe and a spiral stair as a side entrance, still set up as it was when the Teutonic Order held the castle.

  3. The late Gothic chapel screenLate Gothic, woodcarving

    A carved wooden grille closes off the small chapel, a fine piece of late Gothic woodwork.Entrance to the chapel of San Zeno

  4. The Bavarian log coffinsEarly medieval, 4th to 8th century

    Eight tree-trunk coffins were found near the chapel in 1996, and two are displayed in the castle.One hall of the castle; others in the archaeological museum in Bolzano

  5. The dark prisonMedieval

    A dungeon about five meters deep, a stark contrast to the furnished rooms above.

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Booking
Book ahead
Time needed
1 hour
Best time
A weekday morning tour, before summer groups arrive from Vipiteno
Getting there
Near Vipiteno (Sterzing) in South Tyrol, just off the Brenner motorway; the castle sits on a hill a short drive or taxi ride from the Vipiteno train station.
Accessibility
A medieval hill castle with stairs throughout; not accessible to wheelchairs.

Interior visits are by guided tour only; there is no self-guided access.

Ask the guide to point out the log coffins found in 1996: two stay on display in the castle, a detail easy to miss amid the period furniture.

Get directionsGoogle MapsApple Maps

Before you book

How long should you spend at Reifenstein Castle?

About an hour, since the visit is a guided tour of roughly ten furnished rooms. The pace is set by the guide, and the interiors reward asking questions. Add time if you want a look around the hillside.

Do you need to book Reifenstein Castle?

Plan to. The castle opens by guided tour only, in the warm season, so check the tour schedule and reserve ahead, especially in summer.

Is Reifenstein Castle worth visiting?

Yes, if you like interiors more than ruins. It was never conquered or burned, so the kitchen, the Green Room and the chapel feel lived in. It is one of the most valuable castles in South Tyrol, and a short drive from Vipiteno.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

A letter from Italy, once a month.

The places, tables and makers we found worth your time. One email, no noise.

One letter a month. Unsubscribe at any time. We never share your address.

Help us get it right

What is it about?