Rottenburg Castle

The Rottenburgs were one of the most powerful noble families in Tyrol. They came from Bavaria and were originally ministeriales of the Counts of Andechs and then of the Counts of Tyrol. Their ancestral castle, the Rottenburg above Rotholz, was first mentioned in a document in 1149. In 1263, it was referred to as a castrum.

In 1409, Governor Heinrich VI von Rottenburg committed high treason when he allied himself with other Tyrolean nobles, called the Bavarians into the country, and rebelled against Duke Frederick IV. The latter was able to suppress the uprising and capture Rottenburg. In 1411, he had to swear an oath of fealty and was killed shortly thereafter in South Tyrol. His assets and castles were confiscated. The Rottenburg was besieged, conquered, and then largely destroyed during these battles.

From 1460, it was renovated in the Gothic style under Duke Sigmund and administered by princely caretakers. At times, it was also given as collateral. Among the pledge holders were Mathias Thürndl (1468), Veitjakob Tänzl (1502), the Schurff family (1515), Margrave Karl von Burgau (1596), and from 1704 to 1846 the Counts of Tannenberg.

In 1594, the court seat was moved to Rotholz, which led to a gradual decay due to neglect of maintenance work. Around 1700, the last employees also moved to Rotholz. The castle remained almost uninhabited and finally became a ruin. In 1860, it came into the possession of the Diocese of Brixen and later the Diocese of Innsbruck, which still owns it today. Since 1994, efforts have been made to secure the ruin and stop further decay.