Brunnenburg (Castel Fontana) is situated above the city of Merano, on the outskirts of the municipality of Tirol (Tirolo). Originally built circa 1250, the castle was completely restored and updated in the mid-20th century by Boris and Mary de Rachewiltz, who have made it their home.
Today Brunnenburg hosts an Agriculture Museum, dedicated to ethnology, ethnography and folk arts. Moreover it makes visitors familiar with the processing of crops and bread making, the preparation of butter and cheese and much more and illustrates the hard everyday life of South Tyrolean farmers in former periods.
Also almost forgotten professions such as shoemaking and weaving are presented, preventing these activities from falling into oblivion. Finally, the castle is also home to farm animals, above all an attraction for kids.
Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.
Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.