Heinfels Castle opens its doors: special exhibition and varied cultural program
On May 4, Heinfels Castle starts again into a new museum and event season. A colorful and varied program should attract many visitors. For the first time, a special exhibition will be shown in the rooms of the future castle tavern together with the Tyrolean Photo Archive (TAP).
"East Tyrol - The Road to Modernity. 1870/71 to 1970" is dedicated from mid-June to the end of October to the development of the district based on the main themes of mobility, mechanization and tourism. Numerous previously unpublished pictures from the TAP's holdings and films from private collections provide insight into the eventful history of East Tyrol in the past century.
The exhibition is curated by Martin Kofler, the director of the TAP: "The path of East Tyrol into the modern age basically runs upwards, not always equally consistent, but nevertheless steady. Looking at the 100 years, the context is determined by the construction of the Pustertal railroad in 1870/71 and the opening of the Felbertauern road in 1967. The fact that there were setbacks, crises, stagnation with the separation of South Tyrol and the resulting even greater isolation of the district of Lienz after 1918 and into the Second World War must also be a topic.
Real and virtual tours of the castle, new offers for schools, families and children
The castle's permanent exhibition remains unchanged. Guides will again lead visitors through the entire castle complex, through chambers and halls: Authentic history and moving stories are made vivid with castle models, films, radio plays or animations. Museum director Ramona Hofmann: "This year, too, the popular evening tours will take place every Thursday during the summer months. In addition, the outdoor areas of Heinfels Castle can be explored on your own during opening hours as part of the panoramic tour."
Starting in June, the castle will also be brought to life digitally in cooperation with the cultural platform discover-culture.com. The entire castle with all its indoor and outdoor areas can be discovered in a virtual tour.
In the future, there will be space for special programs and workshops for school classes in the newly equipped museum education room. Special events such as children's birthday parties can also be held here. "Fairy tale tours are once again part of our offerings this year. We are always developing new formats, especially for families," says Ramona Hofmann.
Varied program of events
14 public events and a large number of private celebrations such as weddings, company and birthday parties ensure a full program. At the foot of the castle, the swearing-in ceremony of around 300 recruits will take place on May 17, and on June 17, Heinfels will be one of the venues for the International Choir Festival, as it was last year. Katrin and Werner Unterlercher - known from the Pixner Project - will perform at Heinfels Castle on June 23. For many other concerts, a reading and also a sports event such as the spectacular Heinfels Tower Run, the "Queen of the Puster Valley" offers an impressive backdrop.
"With a great deal of dedication, we have once again succeeded in putting together an exciting program this year," says a delighted Peter Leiter of the Heinfels Castle Museum Association.