On 2 May, the castle will open its doors again as normal. A varied programme awaits guests. In addition to a busy museum programme, numerous events are planned until the end of August, as well as some private celebrations such as civil weddings or free weddings.

 

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the municipality of Heinfels, a special exhibition will be shown in the future tavern in the west wing of the castle. ‘Panzendorf und Tessenberg im Lichtbild / 50 Jahre Gemeinde Heinfels’ - the special exhibition of the Tyrolean Photo Archive (TAP), created in collaboration with the Heinfels Castle Museum Association, will show the visual history before and after 1 January 1974, when Panzendorf and Tessenberg merged to form the new municipality of ‘Heinfels’.

The museum year promises plenty of variety. ‘Several events are planned with the “East Tyrolean Cultural Network”, including the East Tyrolean Museum Days in May and the Children's Summer University in July. During the main season, special children's tours of the castle take place every week,’ says museum director Ramona Hofmann.

The vernissage for this year's special exhibition ‘Panzendorf und Tessenberg im Lichtbild / 50 Jahre Gemeinde Heinfels’ will take place at Heinfels Castle on 7 June.

 

Klangvielfalt: Musikgenuss aus Vorarlberg, Wien, Salzburg und Tirol

The ‘Heinfels Castle Summer’, which has now made a name for itself in East Tyrolean cultural life, is already entering its fourth season this year. Several concerts will take place in the inner and outer castle courtyard as well as in the castle's Long Hall.

'Di Vógaiga’ from South Tyrol will kick things off on 21 June, presenting their new programme in Heinfels. The meeting of Philipp Lingg and Christoph Mateka as the duo ‘Laut:Los’ promises to be a special concert experience. Lingg was once on the road with his band HMBC ‘vo Mello bis ge Schoppernou’, now the singer and multi-instrumentalist from the Bregenzerwald (Vorarlberg) is playing together with Mateka from Vienna in the historic walls.

The musicians of the duo Laut:Los will be coming to Heinfels from Vorarlberg and Vienna on 12 July.

 

Other guests include Waldauf3, The Runway Quartet and the Da Ponte Consort Salzburg, an ensemble under the direction of Heinfels native Peter Peinstingl, who is also the Abbey Music Director of St Peter's Abbey in Salzburg.

In the first half of June, Heinfels Castle will also host the International Choir Festival, the ‘Landesmusikschule Sillian-Pustertal’ and the vokalissimo chamber choir from Lienz.

 

In 2023, the International Choir Festival was already hosted in the fantastic setting of the castle.

Thorsteinn Einarsson will be playing big at the end of the ‘Heinfels Castle Summer’. The Austrian-Icelandic pop musician, known from the casting show ‘Die große Chance’ and his hit ‘Leya’, will delight the young audience in particular on 30 August. Peter Leiter, President of the Museum Association: ‘This year we have once again succeeded in putting together a varied programme. Tickets for the many events have been available since the beginning of April.’

Thorsteinn Einarsson: With ‘Leya’, ‘Shackles’ or ‘Kryptonite’, the singer from Salzburg is a popular regular guest on radio stations.

 

Sporting challenge

Of course, there will also be plenty of sport: at the ‘5th Heinfels Tower Run’ in July, numerous runners will once again tackle the challenging route from the historic ‘Punbrugge’ to the highest point, the keep. The aim is to match the fabulous time of Julian Clemens - winner of the 2023 Turmlauf - of just over six minutes. The motivated athletes will be cheered on by the knight group ‘Die Dreschflegel’ from Wattens. They are also part of the colourful supporting programme this year.

The tower run is once again a sporting highlight for young and old athletes this year.

Perspectives

The long-planned renovation of the catering facilities in the west wing will begin in autumn. ‘Museum and event operations will continue as normal over the next two years. From July 2026, the new restaurant will be an important pillar in the castle's overall offering,’ Peter Leiter is convinced.