Castello di Arco

The Arco castle in 1495 painted by Albrecht Dürer

The castle ruins of Castle Arco or Arch is a ruined castle above the town of Arco in the region of Trentino in northern Italy, above the lower Sarca valley.

Location

The ruins Arco is located on the prominent rock mountain ( 273 meters above sea level. M. ) above the town of Arco and the Sarcatales. It is part of an ongoing northward rock back and separated from the next mountain Colodri by a deeper notch. Castle Hill falls to the Sarca valley about a hundred meters vertically, while the rocks to the south and west merges gently into the valley. In the north and northwest, the rocky slopes are much steeper. Strategically secured the castle from the narrow Sarca Valley, which is the second country access to the northern lake next to the entrance via the Passo San Giovanni in Nago -Torbole.

The castle can be reached from the village of Arco several paved paths in about twenty minutes. The path leads through the olive groves below the castle. There is also a Auf-/Abstieg of Laghel, which corresponds approximately to the old castle road. The height difference is but 120 meters.

History

The acropolis of Arco was inhabited before the Middle Ages. As secured a use of the mountain as a castle by local nobles to the year 1000. At the foot of the castle hill to the west and south, developed a small settlement, the origin of the later church Arco. In 1196 Federico explained in documents of Arco, that the castle was lehnfreies good of the people of Arco. The noble family of the Counts of Arco made ​​a little later for the sole owners of the castle. In 1253 Riprando left of Arco the upper part of the castle ( Old Castle ) the Venetian landowners Ezzelino da Romano, who gave the castle part of Sodigerio di Tito, city administrator of Trent. After recognizing the suzerainty of the Count Meinhard II of Tyrol in 1272 the Counts of Arco gained back the castle. The castle was besieged during several medieval feuds, so by the Lords Seiano, Lodron and the troops of the Republic of Venice. This could yet will not take, so that the castle was considered impregnable.

In 1349 the Bishop of Trent drove the count and handed the castle of the Scaliger family. The Verona crew but was expelled by a popular uprising and Count Niccolo Arco was again master of the castle. Albrecht Dürer painted the castle in 1495 as a watercolor. In 1542 the castle was strongly pulled in a fire affected. In July 1579, Ferdinand II had in his function as Archduke of Tyrol occupy the castles Arco and Penede in Nago by his troops. In 1614, the viscount could return to Arco Arco after the end of the feud ( Capito Translate) after they recognized its sovereignty. From 1665 to 1675 Stefano Voltolino conducted numerous restoration and reconstruction work on the castle. By the year 1680 the Counts of Arco of Emperor Leopold II finally be overthrown. In the War of Spanish Succession, the French general Vendôme could occupy the lower Sarca valley and besieged the castle. After vigorous bombardment the garrison capitulated finally in August 1703. Thereafter the castle quickly fell into disrepair and the viscount of Arco left the place and shared later in a Bavarian and a resident of Mantua branch.

In 1927 the Countess of Arco Giovanna, Marchesa of Bagno bought the castle grounds and was the sole owner. Later the castle grounds passed into the possession of the city of Mantua, in 1982 purchased by the City Arco Castle. In 1986, then director of the Archaeological Service of the Province of Trento under the direction of architect Flavio Pontalti extensive backup and renovating one. The castle towers Big Tower, Rengheraturm and the tower after Laghel been backed up and the wall ring consolidated. Likewise, the old showground and the old castle road were uncovered. Excavations uncovered one two former buildings, two cisterns. In a building of some frescoes were uncovered and restored. They show scenes of the game with ladies and gentlemen.

Representation of the Siege of 1703

Fresco painting

Buildings

The rock prison or dungeon The rock prison is an artificially enlarged cave in the lower part of the castle. This will get you down by filling a crevice. The prison has a smaller window was previously closed by two doors. The last door to the dungeon was provided with a flap over which the prisoner was supplied.

Castle walls The convenient location of the castle above the Sarca Valley bigger walls had to be built just to the south and east. these were sometimes up to ten meters high and two meters thick. You are zweiwallig applied sloping to the south and protect the castle so against attacks from the west and south. The walls are also called Rivellino. On the western corner was a large observation tower Guarda di Mezzo.

Cisterns Two large cisterns to supply the castle sieges self-sufficient with water in the castle created because of the construction of a well would have been quite costly. Cisterns was exposed again in the course of the reconstruction of the castle.

Main tower The Romanesque building probably dates from the time of 1300. Clearly visible are the remaining battlements, representing the then typical architecture in northern Italy. Similar castles built the Scaliger further south on Lake Garda. From the tower itself, the outer wall are still preserved (without north wall ). In the three-storey tower created it would have been a residential tower.

Rengheraturm The Rengheraturm is the oldest tower of the castle. It is classified according to the function as a keep. It is located at the highest point of the castle hill. At the base of the building the walls of the previous building can still be seen. The entrance to the tower is located approximately seven meters in height; he could only be reached via a wooden ladder. In the tower there was a bell Renga, about the castle and the place could be warned of danger.

Watchtower by Laghel The tower is to the north the outermost point of the castle dar. It is a four-sided brick and relatively well-preserved commercial buildings.

The entrance to the dungeon

Part of the castle wall

A cistern

The main tower

The Rengheraturm

Watchtower by Laghel

More

• There is a holm oak forests on the north west side.
• In the steep eastern side of the castle hill two extremely serious climbing routes were opened up. These have been but now closed for the climbers.