Kastelfeder – or rather
Castelfeder (from the Italian castello, or ‘castle’) extends over a porphyry hill which lies in a strategic position between Auer and Montan. Castelfeder is a prehistoric, Roman and early medieval settlement and is a spacious hilltop settlement which has been occupied numerous times. Tribes settled here during the Stone and Bronze Age. But other peoples settled here as well during the periods which followed: Raetians, Romans, Rhaeto-romans, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, and Bavarians; and later knights and aristocratic dynasties made Castelfeder their home. The castle, called “Oberburg”, stands 190 meters high from the valley floor and lies 405 meters above sea level.
The portion of the castle which has survived consists in the ruins of the fortified walls, the famous “Kuchelen”, and parts of the Barbara Chapel, which dates back to the 6th century. The sun-drenched hill is also covered with interesting vegetation, ancient oak trees and a very particular biotope.
Come and be surrounded by this mythical world!
History of Castelfeder:
Archaeological finds and architecture
The archaeological finds comprise urn tombs and grave goods dating from the 2nd century BC, connected with the Laugen-Melaun culture. Areas used for sacrifice by fire have also been discovered.
A Byzantine fortress was constructed on the hill around 500 BC to protect the settlement from the Germanic tribes. The ruins of the 500-meter-long fortified walls, the so-called Kuchelen, have survived to our day. The Roman stopping station Endidae, which lay on the Antonini route, north of Trient, between Neumarkt and Auer was not likely to have been on the higher Castelfeder fortifications, the “Oberburg”. More likely, this station was situated in the valley below in Vill, where the ruins of a Roman villa with mosaic floors were discovered.
On the actual “Oberburg”, the hilltop scattered with many ruins, there stands an early medieval fortification. It is still not certain whether they are the remains of the Castrum Ennemase mentioned by Paolus Diaconus in 590.
Features of the defensive walls
The main feature of this fortification is the long, fortified walls which extend eastwards and southwards and can be followed almost the whole way around. The section extending south has preserved a significant height on account of the so-called “Kuchelen”. There is an arch on the inner side of the walls, which supported the watch corridor. Some of the slender, external buttresses, unevenly spaced around the perimeter, have survived. The walls are surprisingly thin, as if their foundations were not anchored to the rocks. It would, however, be a mistake to think that the construction of the walls was carried out in a negligent or unstable manner. Rather, the impression one has is that they were built as sturdy as a tight budget would allow.
The architectural features of this site have often been compared to Byzantine fortifications, in particular the imposing walls of Constantinople.
Constructions within the walls
The remains of wooden structures uncovered during archaeological excavations seem to show that the constructions within the defensive walls were primarily made of wood. The only stone construction in this period was probably the chapel consecrated to Saint Lawrence and Saint Vigilius, which later became the Barbara Chapel.
This earliest fortified site was probably destroyed by a fire which broke out near the Kuchelen. A necropolis was built during the 7th century between the chapel and the Kuchelen. A second fire during the 7th century jeopardized the entire settlement, including the chapel. The fortification was probably abandoned, while only the chapel was restored. The site of Castelfeder in all likelihood was not used for a long period, between the late 7th century and the 9th-10th century.
New constructions after the barbaric invasions
There are traces of human activities which took place during the Carolingian period, and later during the Ottonian period, on the higher fortifications of Castelfeder. The entire western and northern section of the partially-destroyed, Byzantine fortification was restored. A layering of the wall surface can indeed be seen clearly, as well as wide areas of bricks laid in a herringbone fashion (opus spicatum). The portion west of the Oberburg dates back to the so-called Lombard Tower construction period. The northern portion was reinforced and a rectangular, two-storey structure was built there; a considerable part of this structure has survived to our days. This second construction stage at Castelfeder can be seen in several archaeological finds, such as the flat buckle attributed to the Paleo-Slavic culture of Köttlach-Karantanien and the fragment of a punch. We do not know for how long these structures were used, but it is believed they were used until the late 12th century.
The date of the foundations of over 160 buildings is also unknown.
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