The portals are the most outstanding example of Romanesque architectural sculpture in Tyrol and form the cultural-historical highlight of the castle. There are many questions concerning architectural history bound up in them, which exercise experts to this day. The imagery of the palace and chapel portals, the former in Lasa marble, the latter in marble from Racines, take their inspiration from a wide-spread perception of an animal kingdom interpreted in a human way. You will find mankind’s fall here and his subsequent salvation in the tense conflict between good and evil, with good prevailing.

When looking at the portals it is worth keeping in mind the underlying ambivalence in medieval symbolic language. Certain figures and animal or plant symbols can carry a message but also its opposite meaning at the same time. The lion, for instance, can stand for Christ as well as for the Devil. The ivy around the door frames is considered as a plant of eternity, guaranteeing lasting memory. By reason of their excellent state of preservation, the portals of Castle Tyrol are considered to be a special feature, and not just in the Alpine region. Comparisons have repeatedly been made with the façade reliefs in San Michele in Pavia.