Fröhlichsburg Castle

The castle was presumably built by the Lords of Mals, a collateral line of the Matsch family, and could have been their ancestral seat. The keep from the 12th to 13th century was extended by a palas with a zwinger. From the 14th century, it served as a court and administrative seat. During the Battle of Calven, Engadiners set the castle and town on fire in 1499. Subsequently, the administrator moved the court seat to Glurns. In the second half of the 16th century, the Malsburg passed to the Fröhlich family, who had it restored and to whom it owes its current name. The family also owned the Droßturm. In 1563, Emperor Ferdinand I enfeoffed the brothers Balthasar, Carl, Hans and Pankraz Fröhlich with the property. Thereupon, Balthasar Fröhlich, the administrator of the Mals and Glurns administrative office, bore the predicate "von Fröhlichsburg". After the family died out in the male line around 1603, another Tyrolean family adopted the name and coat of arms Fröhlich von Fröhlichsburg. According to 18th-century depictions, the castle complex was largely dilapidated again. According to legend, the stones were used in 1838 for the expansion of the parish church of Mals. In 1951, it was placed under protection and in 1981, it was included in the list of the South Tyrolean Provincial Monuments Office. The Fröhlichsburg is currently privately owned by the Counts Khuen-Belasi. For the purpose of restoring the tower, the association Freunde der Fröhlichsburg was founded. In 2004, restoration measures finally took place on the keep with a viewing platform. On this occasion, a commemorative publication was issued.