Ossana Castle

Ossana, Italy

St. Michael castle in Ossana stands on a rocky outcrop. The first written record dates back to 1191. The castle was owned by the Prince Bishops of Trento, Counts of Tyrol-Gorizia, de Federici, Heydorf and Bertelli families. Today is well-preserved with an imposing tower about 25 meters high.

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Address

Via G. Prati 5, Ossana, Italy
See all sites in Ossana

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Trento Cathedral (39,9 km)
Rocca Castle (47,8 km)
Trauttmansdorff Castle and Gardens (52,1 km)
Buonconsiglio Castle (39,9 km)
Santa Maria Maggiore Church (39,7 km)
Palazzo delle Albere (39,8 km)
Beseno Castle (50,8 km)
St. Nicholas' Church (52 km)
Saint Andrea Church (49,9 km)

User Reviews

George On tour (17 months ago)
Thanks to its position on an inaccessible promontory above the village of Ossana and along the trade route of the Passo Tonale, between the Trentino and the upper area of Brescia, the castle enjoyed complete civil and criminal administration under the Episcopal Curia. It is supposed, that the complex dates back to the Langobards, but the first written evidence dates back to 1191. Several noble families owned the castle, among them also the Prince-Bishops of Trento, the Counts of Gorizia-Tyrol and Bertha von Suttner, the Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1905. The mighty keep, about 25 m high, is not only the most characteristic element but also the best preserved of the entire complex. Parts of the castle are also a drawbridge, a fortified porch, guard rooms and a prison
Dani KING (17 months ago)
Amazing!!!!
Giovani Rissi (2 years ago)
Place of historical interest. Open spaces with snow and Christmas market.
Andrea Spallanzani (3 years ago)
Beautiful castle with a spectacular view of the valley and the mountains.
Pam Resner (3 years ago)
Very cool place to visit. Had very unique diorama about Christmas during WWI. You can still see carvings in the tower from WWI soldiers and earlier. Plenty of areas to explore around the upper walls and tower. Very friendly and helpful staff.
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Cochem Castle

The original Cochem Castle, perched prominently on a hill above the Moselle River, served to collect tolls from passing ships. Modern research dates its origins to around 1100. Before its destruction by the French in 1689, the castle had a long and fascinating history. It changed hands numerous times and, like most castles, also changed its form over the centuries.

In 1151 King Konrad III ended a dispute over who should inherit Cochem Castle by laying siege to it and taking possession of it himself. That same year it became an official Imperial Castle (Reichsburg) subject to imperial authority. In 1282 it was Habsburg King Rudolf’s turn, when he conquered the Reichsburg Cochem and took it over. But just 12 years later, in 1294, the newest owner, King Adolf of Nassau pawned the castle, the town of Cochem and the surrounding region in order to finance his coronation. Adolf’s successor, Albrecht I, was unable to redeem the pledge and was forced to grant the castle to the archbishop in nearby Trier and the Electorate of Trier, which then administered the Reichsburg continuously, except for a brief interruption when Trier’s Archbishop Balduin of Luxembourg had to pawn the castle to a countess. But he got it back a year later.

The Electorate of Trier and its nobility became wealthy and powerful in large part due to the income from Cochem Castle and the rights to shipping tolls on the Moselle. Not until 1419 did the castle and its tolls come under the administration of civil bailiffs (Amtsmänner). While under the control of the bishops and electors in Trier from the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was expanded several times.

In 1688 the French invaded the Rhine and Moselle regions of the Palatinate, which included Cochem and its castle. French troops conquered the Reichsburg and then laid waste not only to the castle but also to Cochem and most of the other surrounding towns in a scorched-earth campaign. Between that time and the Congress of Vienna, the Palatinate and Cochem went back and forth between France and Prussia. In 1815 the western Palatinate and Cochem finally became part of Prussia once and for all.

Louis Jacques Ravené (1823-1879) did not live to see the completion of his renovated castle, but it was completed by his son Louis Auguste Ravené (1866-1944). Louis Auguste was only two years old when construction work at the old ruins above Cochem began in 1868, but most of the new castle took shape from 1874 to 1877, based on designs by Berlin architects. After the death of his father in 1879, Louis Auguste supervised the final stages of construction, mostly involving work on the castle’s interior. The castle was finally completed in 1890. Louis Auguste, like his father, a lover of art, filled the castle with an extensive art collection, most of which was lost during the Second World War.

In 1942, during the Nazi years, Ravené was forced to sell the family castle to the Prussian Ministry of Justice, which turned it into a law school run by the Nazi government. Following the end of the war, the castle became the property of the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). In 1978 the city of Cochem bought the castle for 664,000 marks.

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