Welcome to the early 13th Century. Genghis Khan has just conquered China, King John has signed Magna Carta and Western Europe is gearing up for another pointless Crusade.
In northern Italy the Habsburg empire is thriving and the local gentry are building grand, new, fortified residences in dramatic, mountainside locations. to show off their new wealth and status. Karneid Castle, just east of Bozen is an early example.
The heart of the castle is built around 1215 CE, probably by the Greifensteins, relatives of the Counts of Eppan. In the 150 years that follow several prominent local families extend the castle and add a chapel, generous living quarters & extensive fortifications.
In 1386 a local landowner named Heinrich von Liechtenstein takes possession of Karneid. In a civil war between the Habsburg Empire and local Tirolean nobility Heinrich sides with the latter and the castle is besieged, Heinrich and his family are taken prisoner but after some smooth talking plus the payment of a large ransom they are released and allowed to return to Karneid.
In 1580 a fire destroys much of the castle. Extensive rebuilding work by Bartholomäus von Liechtenstein saves the house but bankrupts the family and for the next 200 years Karneid remains largely untouched. After the death in 1761 of Count Anton the last Tirolean Liechtenstein, his heirs sell Karneid to the city of Bozen. Over the next hundred years the estate changes hands numerous times and falls into disrepair.
In 1884 Baron Ferdinand von Miller, a wealthy Munich artisan & entrepreneur buys and restores Karneid. Today it is owned by his descendants and is one of the last intact, privately owned medieval fortresses in South Tirol. The castle continues plays an important role in the life of the local community and since 2015 is also available in the summer months for private hire as a base for activity holidays in the surrounding Dolomites.
Welcome to the early 13th Century. Genghis Khan has just conquered China, King John has signed Magna Carta and Western Europe is gearing up for another pointless Crusade.
In northern Italy the Habsburg empire is thriving and the local gentry are building grand, new, fortified residences in dramatic, mountainside locations. to show off their new wealth and status. Karneid Castle, just east of Bozen is an early example.
The heart of the castle is built around 1215 CE, probably by the Greifensteins, relatives of the Counts of Eppan. In the 150 years that follow several prominent local families extend the castle and add a chapel, generous living quarters & extensive fortifications.
In 1386 a local landowner named Heinrich von Liechtenstein takes possession of Karneid. In a civil war between the Habsburg Empire and local Tirolean nobility Heinrich sides with the latter and the castle is besieged, Heinrich and his family are taken prisoner but after some smooth talking plus the payment of a large ransom they are released and allowed to return to Karneid.
In 1580 a fire destroys much of the castle. Extensive rebuilding work by Bartholomäus von Liechtenstein saves the house but bankrupts the family and for the next 200 years Karneid remains largely untouched. After the death in 1761 of Count Anton the last Tirolean Liechtenstein, his heirs sell Karneid to the city of Bozen. Over the next hundred years the estate changes hands numerous times and falls into disrepair.
In 1884 Baron Ferdinand von Miller, a wealthy Munich artisan & entrepreneur buys and restores Karneid. Today it is owned by his descendants and is one of the last intact, privately owned medieval fortresses in South Tirol. The castle continues plays an important role in the life of the local community and since 2015 is also available in the summer months for private hire as a base for activity holidays in the surrounding Dolomites.
Not so long ago an old countess lived alone in the ancient castle of Karneid. Her family had moved far away many years before and most of the castle was abandoned, slowly falling into ruin.
Sometimes in the summer months the kindly old countess would be visited by members of her family and she especially enjoyed it when her grandchildren came to stay. The old countess would allow the children to explore the whole castle except the library where she kept her precious old books and a beautiful old golden typewriter. This typewriter was used by the countess to write stories that she would tell her grandchildren in the long summer evenings and these stories were so beautiful that the children were sure that the typewriter must be magic.
One day the countess's mischievous little grandson Otto snuck into the library to take a closer look at the typewriter. As his grandmother lay dozing in the midday heat in her armchair nearby, the young boy quietly sat down in front of the shining gold machine which was nearly as big as he was and began to carefully press down first one key and then another as he had seen his grandmother do. As he pressed each key the little arm to which it was attached swung forward and pressed the shape of a letter on to a sheet of thick paper loaded into the machine. As Otto pressed key after key, words began to appear on the paper as if by magic. Otto could tell they were words because he recognised some of the letters but he couldn't tell what they said because he hadn't yet learnt to read. Otto happily carried on pressing the different keys, watching as the sheet of paper filled with letters and words until looking around, he saw his grandmother sitting in her armchair looking at him.
"Otto" the countess said smiling
"You have been a naughty boy sneaking into my library and playing with my things"
"I'm sorry" Otto said
"I wanted to try out your magic typewriter and couldn't resist"
"So, Otto have you discovered what the magic is?"
"I think so. If you press the keys on the machine then letters and words appear on the paper."
"That's right Otto, and what do you think the words say?"
"I don't know, do they tell one of your beautiful stories?"
"Shall we have a look and see?"
The old lady got up and gently pulled the sheet of paper from the typewriter. It was covered in an illegible jumble of words and letters that Otto, unable to read had happily typed thinking that he was writing a story. She sat down next to Otto, pulled on her glasses and with a twinkle in her eye began to read,
"Once upon a time, in land far, far away....."
and Otto listened happily to his grandmother tell another of her beautiful stories......