Berneck Castle is located near Kauns, on the opposite side of the Inn valley from Laudegg Castle, and in the Kaunertal valley. The castle sits on top of a large rock close to the river Faggenbach.
It is assumed that the castle was built by the Lords of Berneck at the beginning of the 13th century. The old castle was probably badly damaged during the Anneberg dispute with Duke Friedrich. As a result, it was rebuilt by Hans Wilhelm von Mülinen as a late Gothic residential castle. After this expansion in the 15th century, it was one of the most beautiful and largest in the area. The use of yellow tuff for window and door frames, window crosses, corner blocks and corbels is striking. Also noteworthy is the castle chapel, which Saint Bartholomew is dedicated and contains important late Gothic frescoes. The altar of the chapel is carved directly from the rock. There is a free pulpit in the chapel courtyard.
In 1775, the Pachs took out a loan of 1,500 guilders for a renovation, and in 1819 the complex was restored as a summer residence. From 1870, however, Berneck continued to decline, and in the 20th century the decline progressed rapidly. Due to the dilapidation, the oldest Gothic room in North Tyrol, which Hans Wilhelm von Mülinen had set up in 1437, was dismantled in 1940 and taken to the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum. Since its renovation in 2007 it can be visited again.
Only the purchase of the castle by Ekkehard Hörmann and the subsequent renovation from 1977 to 1983 saved Berneck from final decay. The renovation of the castle chapel with funds from the Munich Messerschmitt Foundation was completed in 1987.
References:Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.