Trautson Castle

In the Middle Ages, there were three castles in Matrei that could block traffic on the Brenner Pass at any time. One of them was Trautson Castle, built in 1220 by Count Albrecht III of Tyrol, which he granted to his vassals, the Lords of Matrei.

In 1368, the Matrei castles were occupied by the Bavarians. They could not be captured despite a five-week siege, but were returned to Duke Leopold III of Austria in 1369 after the Peace of Schärding. With Konrad von Matrei, his family died out around 1360. His daughter Anastasia was married to Hans Trautson von Sprechenstein, which gave the castle its current name. Until then, it was only referred to as "hintere Veste Matrei" (rear fortress of Matrei). His descendants expanded it.

In 1514, Emperor Maximilian I acquired Trautson Castle. In 1532, it was granted as a fief to Albrecht von Stamp and in 1581 to Cyriak von Haidenreich, who had extensive renovations carried out. In 1600, Anton Trautson bought back the castle of his ancestors. It remained in the possession of his descendants until 1775, when Maria Josepha von Trautson brought it into her marriage with Karl Joseph Prince Auersperg. When the Brenner Railway was built in 1868 and a tunnel was blasted through the castle hill, significant damage occurred to the keep and the residential buildings, which could be repaired by installing iron ties.

Major restorations took place in 1915 and 1927. On April 2, 1945, the former castle was almost completely destroyed by American aerial bombs. The carpet bombing was, of course, not aimed at the castle, but at the Brenner Railway and the Brenner Pass running directly next to it. Only the outer walls of the chaplaincy, the foundations of the keep, and some retaining walls along the castle path withstood the attack. In 1947 and 1948, the chaplaincy was rebuilt. It is practically the only building that still reminds us of the former castle. The complex, still referred to as a castle despite its almost complete destruction, still belongs to the Princes Auersperg.