The magnificent Keep owes its current form to the reconstruction which took place at the beginning of the 20th century. The plans for this work were developed by castle expert Otto Piper. The medieval Keep has only been preserved as far as the third floor. There are no pictorial or written records in existence to tell us what it looked like originally. However, with its single, elevated entrance at second floor level and its narrow horizontal slits for windows, the tower possesses all the hallmarks of a medieval fortified tower.

The castle dungeon is in the lower floor of the Keep. Even though imprisonment here was viewed as too harsh as early as the 16th century, this dark space was still in use in the following centuries as the prison of the rulers’ manorial court. Since 2003 the Keep has been the site of an exhibition displaying the local history of South Tyrol in the 20th century. It has been possible to construct the basis of an exciting story based on numerous original documents and artefacts.

Tower of memories in the Keep – South Tyrol in the 20th century. What happened during the period of “die Option”, the South Tyrol Option Agreement?What does autonomy mean for South Tyrol and how did this shape its political path? If you want to find out more about the history of South Tyrol in the 20th century then you should look at the impressive presentation in the Keep!

Since 2003 the Keep has been the home to a permanent exhibition covering the history of South Tyrol in the 20th century. In 2016 the exhibition was given a make-over. The historical events are illustrated with the help of no fewer than 400 objects. In addition, the top level of the Keep is used to display contemporary art and, from time to time, themes relating to contemporary history are developed further here.