Heinfels Castle once again offered a colourful programme of events in 2024, combining culture, history and sport in a unique way. From the ‘Osttiroler Museumstage’ in May to the musical and sporty castle summer and exciting autumn events, the castle attracted numerous visitors. With a mixture of workshops, concerts and special experiences for young and old, the castle once again emphasised its importance as a cultural hotspot in East Tyrol. A special highlight was the concert by Icelandic-Austrian singer Thorsteinn Einarsson, which brought the summer at the castle to a brilliant close.

Heinfels Castle kicked off the 2024 museum year in May with the Osttiroler Museumstage (East Tyrolean Museum Days) - initiated by the East Tyrolean Cultural Network. Special events included a herbal workshop for children and a lecture on the historical trade relations between Cadore and Alta Pusteria. Under the guidance of herb fairy Maria, the children learnt about the fascinating world of medicinal plants and made their own herb butter. Historian Curti Covi provided fascinating insights into the centuries-old trade relations between the two regions. On 7 June, the joint special exhibition of the Tyrolean Photo Archive (TAP), the municipality of Heinfels and the museum association was opened, which uses numerous photographs to shed light on the recent history of the village.

The ‘Osttiroler Museumstage’ and the opening of the special exhibition ‘Panzendorf und Tessenberg im Lichtbild  / 50 Jahre Gemeinde Heinfels’ marked the start of a varied museum year.

The Heinfels Castle Summer: music, sport and creativity
In addition to many cultural highlights, the Heinfels Castle Summer also offered a special sporting event. The duo ‘Laut-Los‘ delighted the audience with a humorous and musically varied performance on 12 July. The sporting highlight was the '5th Heinfels Tower Run' on 20 July, in which over 60 athletes completed the 1.1 km route with 265 steps from the ‘Punbrugge’ to the castle keep. The record time of Julius Ott, who sprinted to victory in 5:30.3 minutes, will probably remain unrivalled for a long time to come. The children's summer university took place on 25 July, where the young participants put their creativity to the test and designed their own coat of arms. The month ended with a sold-out concert by the ‘Runway Quartet’, who performed hits by the Beatles and classics from the 70s. The highlight of the summer was the concert by Icelandic-Austrian chart-topper Thorsteinn Einarsson on 30 August, which attracted an audience of over 600. Two concerts in August, including ‘Waldauf³‘ and the ‘Da Ponte Consort Salzburg‘ in the atmospherically lit inner courtyard, underlined the musical diversity of the concert programme.

Special highlights every year: The 'Heinfels Tower Run' and the concerts in the atmospherically lit courtyard. Thorsteinn Einarsson was a guest at Heinfels Castle on 30 August.

Colourful autumn programme, renovation work and event programme 2025

In autumn, events such as a paranormal ‘investigation’ as part of ‘Kulturgestöber&Abendbrot’ and a workshop on medieval architecture with the former provincial curator Walter Hauser were a hit. As part of the numerous events and festivals, 4,400 people visited the castle, the museum had around 10,000 visitors in 2024 and 20 bridal couples said ‘I do’ in the castle chapel.

Extensive renovation work is planned for 2025 and the catering facilities will open in 2026. The museum will be open to visitors again from May, and concerts and events will take place without restrictions. The concert programme has already been published, tickets will be available here from 1. 12. 2024!

Photos: © Peter Leiter, Martin Bürgler (Thorsteinn Einarsson)