A new bell for Heinfels Castle

It was a special day for the "Queen of the Puster Valley": On the 12th of July the guardian angel bell was cast in the bell foundry Grassmayr in Innsbruck. This is a continuation of the old tradition of bells in the castle.

Eine neue Glocke für die Burg Heinfels

The first bell from 1451 was made by Erasmus Haydel, a citizen of Lienz and tin founder. Until the chapel was closed at the end of the 18th century, bells were documented on the historic castle grounds, after which the trace was lost. It is remarkable that in 1868 the St. Laurentius bell from Heinfels Castle was loaned to Oberlienz, where it still hangs in the church tower and can only be rung by hand.

The new Heinfels bell was cast together with thirteen other bells intended for parishes in the Philippines, China and Romania, for the Romanian Orthodox congregation in Vienna or for the Jesuit Church in Innsbruck. The new guardian angel bell - a foundation of the chairman of the museum association, Josef Steinringer - has a weight of approx. 165 kg with a diameter of 63 cm and adorns the inscription "From God it is thought that his angel will watch over you". The motif shows a guardian angel designed by the founder's daughter, Elisabeth Steinringer. Even before the casting, the sound of the bell was tuned with the other chimes of the Heinfels churches of St. Peter and Paul and St. Anthony. After the consecration of the bell, the exact date of which will be announced, the bell will ring from Heinfels Castle every Sunday evening, on Guardian Angel Sunday and at the Patrozinium (Saint Laurentius, 10 August).

 

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Three years ago the elaborate work on the largest profane restoration project in Tyrol began. All the roofs of the castle, with the exception of the tower from 1992, have now been newly roofed and the access paths inside the complex have already been paved. The opening of the museum is planned for early summer 2020

From May 2018 to the end of October 2019, more than 2800 visitors gained insights into one of the most exciting construction sites in the region.

It was a special day for the "Queen of the Puster Valley": On the 12th of July the guardian angel bell was cast in the bell foundry Grassmayr in Innsbruck. This is a continuation of the old tradition of bells in the castle.

During the restoration work, a special red chalk drawing from the early 16th century was uncovered. But this is not the only discovery!

Heinfels Castle’s main redevelopment should be complete and open once again to the general public within five years. An ambitious goal if you were to take a peek inside the imposing castle, as the last centuries haven’t been kind to the halls and chambers, leaving them to dilapidate.

On 16 November 2015, the concept regarding the future use of Heinfels Castle was presented to the district councils of the Tyrolean Oberland. If everything goes according o plan, the main redevelopment can take place during summer 2016.

The Südtiroler Burgeninstitut (the South Tyrolean Castle Institute) invited Management of the Museumsverein and the Steering Group to visit a number of castles in and around South Tyrol on 14 July 2015.

On 2 June 2015, the members of the ‘New Uses’ and ‘Redevelopment and Maintenance’ groups were met by gorgeous weather as they set out to visit the border fortress of Altfinstermünz in Nauders at the foot of the Finstermünzpass.