Roncolo Castle

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Inner yard of Roncolo Castle.

Aerial view of the castle.

Roncolo Castle (Italian: Castel Roncolo; German: Schloss Runkelstein) is a castle in the province of Bolzano, Italy, near the city of Bolzano, on a rocky spur in the territory of Ritten/Renon.

The castle was built in 1237 by the brothers Friedrich and Beral von Wangen (Vanga). In 1274 it was damaged by a siege by Meinhard II of Tirol, who entrusted it to Gottschalk Knoger. The castle was rebuilt from the 1380s, when it received its fresco decorations by unknown masters. Later it was acquired by Sigismund of Austria. In 1463-1465 it was the seat of the Prince-Bishops of Trento.

In 1500 it was given to Georg von Frundsberg, under whom, in 1520, it exploded and had to be reconstructed in 1531. Seven years later it went to the Liechtenstein family, with the Liechtenstein-Castelcorno line. A fire in 1672 destroyed the eastern palace, which was never rebuilt. In 1759 the last Liechtenstein-Castelcorno gave back the fief to the Trentine bishops. At the time it was in decay, and in 1858 another section crumbled.

In the 1880s it was restored under the patronage of emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. In 1893 it was donated to the commune of Bolzano, which still possess it. The last restoration was carried in the 1990s.