Masnago Castle

Varese, Italy

The oldest part of the Masnago castle is an 11th-century crenellated tower. The current appearance is result of a series of modifications and extensions from the Middle Ages (11th – 13th centuries) to the 18th century, is one of the most important historical buildings in Varese. The main body of the castle dates from the 15th century and gave the castle the appearance of a mansion house, as may be seen from the façade overlooking the Mantegazza Park. Finally, the wing that was built into the pre-existing medieval fortress in the late 17th – early 18th centuries resulted in its present appearance as a country residence.

The Castiglioni family, who owned the Castle from the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century, were responsible for the exquisite frescoes. On the death of Marquis Paolo Castiglioni Stampa the castle was inherited by a female branch of the family, and was later sold to Angelo Mantegazza of Varese.

The frescoes, painted in the style known as International Gothic, date to around the mid-15th century, but were discovered only in 1938. Two of the interior rooms are frescoed: the Sala degli Svaghi (the “Pastime Room”) where the pastimes of the court are depicted, and the Sala dei Vizi e Virtù (“Room of Vices and Virtues”) illustrating the morals of the time.

The Castle’s magnificent rooms also host the Museum of modern and contemporary art.

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Address

Via Cola di Rienzo 42, Varese, Italy
See all sites in Varese

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.illagomaggiore.com

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Sacro Monte di Varese (3,6 km)
Palazzo Estense (2 km)


Milan Cathedral (50,6 km)
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (50,4 km)
Royal Palace of Milan (50,7 km)
Sforza Castle (49,5 km)
Gallerie di Piazza Scala (50,3 km)
La Scala (50,2 km)
San Carlo al Corso (50,6 km)
Como Cathedral (21,9 km)
Teatro Sociale (22 km)

User Reviews

Angela Giglio (33 days ago)
Residenza signorile con torre merlata immersa in un bel parco. All'interno splendide sale affrescate. Particolarmente notevoli due a tema: virtù c'è vizi, divertimenti e svaghi. Molto bello anche il cortiletto di ingresso. Ospita un bel museo di arte moderna e contemporanea. Visitabile il tutto per soli 4 euro (diverse possibilità per pagarne solo 2)
Giovanni Leuci (2 months ago)
Più del castello, dove si svolge annualmente il Palio di Masnago, sono rimasto colpito positivamente dal parco per come sia ben tenuto e pulito. Probabilmente non adatto per fare jogging, è ideale pee passeggiaee o per sedersi a leggere un libro. Ottimo e fresco d'estate quando gode dei venticelli ceh calano dal Campo dei fiori
Lamberto (3 months ago)
Incredibile quanto poco sia pubblicizzato, e l'assoluta mancanza di insegne, per cui, fino a che non me lo sono trovato davanti, avevo dubbi sulla posizione segnata sulle mappe. Credo che meriti tra l'ora e l'ora e mezza, più che altro per i quadri esposti. Ho apprezzato la "plasticità" con cui si sviluppano le stanze, disposte su due piani, e in alcune ci sono antichi affreschi in parte restaurati. Il castello è per lo più adibito a piccola pinacoteca, e tra gli altri, c'è un Guttuso, un Balla, un Pellizza da Volpedo.
Mauro Morelli (13 months ago)
Nice contemporary art museum in the heart of Varese. A gem.
Richard Green (2 years ago)
Fascinating, from the prehistoric to the contemporary.
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Moszna Castle

The Moszna Castle is one of the best known monuments in the western part of Upper Silesia. The history of this building begins in the 17th century, although much older cellars were found in the gardens during excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the investigators, including H. Barthel, claimed that those cellars could have been remnants of a presumed Templar castle, but their theory has never been proved. After World War II, further excavations discovered a medieval palisade.

The central part of the castle is an old baroque palace which was partially destroyed by fire on the night of April 2, 1896 and was reconstructed in the same year in its original form by Franz Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. The reconstruction works involved an extension of the residence. The eastern Neogothic-styled wing of the building was built by 1900, along with an adjacent orangery. In 1912-1914, the western wing was built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The architectural form of the castle contains a wide variety of styles, thus it can be generally defined as eclectic.

The height of the building, as well as its numerous turrets and spires, give the impression of verticalism. The whole castle has exactly ninety-nine turrets. Inside, it contains 365 rooms. The castle was twice visited by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. His participation in hunting during his stay at the castle was documented in a hand-written chronicle in 1911 as well as in the following year. The castle in Moszna was the residence of a Silesian family Tiele-Winckler who were industrial magnates, from 1866 until the spring of 1945 when they were forced to move to Germany and the castle was occupied by the Red Army. The period of the Soviet control caused significant damage to the castle's internal fittings in comparison to the minor damage caused by WWII.

After World War II the castle did not have a permanent owner and was the home of various institutions until 1972 when it became a convalescent home. Later it became a Public Health Care Centre for Therapies of Neuroses. Nowadays it can be visited by tourists since the health institution has moved to another building in the neighbourhood. The castle also has a chapel which is used as a concert hall. Since 1998 the castle housed a gallery in which works of various artists are presented at regular exhibitions.

Apart from the castle itself, the entire complex includes a park which has no precise boundaries and includes nearby fields, meadows and a forest. Only the main axis of the park can be characterised as geometrical. Starting from the gate, it leads along the oak and then horse-chestnut avenues, towards the castle. Further on, the park passes into an avenue of lime trees with symmetrical canals running along both sides of the path, lined with a few varieties of rhododendrons. The axis of the park terminates at the base of a former monument of Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. On the eastern side of the avenue there is a pond with an islet referred to by the owners as Easter Island. The islet is planted with needle-leaved shrubs and can be reached by a Chinese-styled bridge. The garden, as part of the whole park complex was restored slightly earlier than the castle itself. Preserved documents of 1868 state that the improvement in the garden's aesthetic quality was undertaken by Hubert von Tiele-Winckler.

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