Heinfels Castle 2024: A summer full of diversity

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.

Ansicht von Heinfels, 1929

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.

Laut:Los

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.

 

Chörefestival

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

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.

Turmlauf

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.

 

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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.