Castel Trostburg, also known as Trostburg Castle or Castel Forte, is a medieval castle situated on a rocky hillside above Ponte Gardena (Waidbruck) in South Tyrol, northern Italy. First documented in 1173, the castle was originally built as a fortified residence and underwent several expansions during the following centuries. Its prominent square keep dates from around 1230, while much of its present appearance reflects alterations carried out between the 15th and 17th centuries. The complex includes defensive walls, towers, courtyards, a chapel and residential buildings with Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural features.

For approximately 600 years, Castel Trostburg belonged to the noble Wolkenstein family. The medieval poet, composer and diplomat Oswald von Wolkenstein (1377–1445) spent part of his childhood at the castle. During the early 17th century, Count Engelhard Dietrich von Wolkenstein-Trostburg commissioned extensive renovations, including the construction of an elaborate Renaissance hall. After falling into disrepair during the 20th century, the castle underwent restoration beginning in 1967. It has been open to the public since 1977 and has housed the South Tyrolean Castles Museum since 2005. Its interior contains historical furnishings, Gothic wood-panelled rooms, Renaissance decorations and a collection of scale models of castles from the region.

Castel Trostburg appears on the cover of “Still in the Grey Dying…” (1999), the debut studio album by the Italian gothic metal band Evenfall, released through Century Media Records on 22 March 1999. The castle is shown in a blue-tinted photograph on the left side of the artwork, alongside portraits of two women. Evenfall originated in Brixen (Bressanone), also in South Tyrol, not far from the castle. Formed under the name Evenfall in 1996, the band combined elements of gothic metal, symphonic black metal and doom metal. The album artwork was designed by Media Logistics, with photography credited to Wolfgang Bartsch.

ADDRESS:
Via Burgfrieden, 22, 39040 Ponte Gardena BZ, Italy

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