Castello del Buonconsiglio

Residence of the Prince­bishops from the end of the 13th century until the secularisation of the episcopate in 1803, it was originally built for purely defensive purposes. The military aspect of the Castle underwent huge modifications over the centuries that transformed it into one of the most complex fortified urban residences in the Alps. It was mainly thanks to the Prince­bishops (Giorgio Lichtenstein, Bernardo Clesio, Cristoforo Madruzzo, Francesco Alberti­ Poja) that the castle took on its present day appearance: starting from the end of the fourteenth century until the mid seventeenth century its original layout, the Palazzo Vecchio (Old castle) and the Torre d’Augusto tower had other parts added (Magno Palazzo, Giunta Albertiana). At the same time a few of the best artists of the period arrived in Trento, who were not allowed to work at the castle yet have left their mark in other buildings around the city.

A visit to the castle offers the possibility for an immersion in history from a military and artistic architectural point of view. Starting from the month cycle, a series of frescoes dated around 1400 and recognised at a European level as one of the most important international gothic pieces. Here the unknown artist probably of bohemian origins proposes a representation of both life in the court and ordinary life outside in each month. After there is a complete immersion in the Renaissance surrounded by exquisite pieces of art demonstrating the level of the artists who worked here.

Also to remember the prisons where during the First World War some irredentists were imprisoned (in the 19th century under the Austro­Hungarian emperor the castle was used as an army barracks). In 1973 with the passage of authority for Cultural Heritage Services from the state to the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Buonconsiglio became the Provincial Museum of Art; from 1992 it was named Castello del Buonconsiglio, provincial collections and monuments.

Via Bernardo Clesio 5
Ph. 0039.0461.233770 - Fax 0039.0461.239497
www.buonconsiglio.it @ Castello del Buonconsiglio

Opening times
Tuesday ­- Sunday: 9.30am – 5.00pm
Closed on Mondays not holidays, 25th December and 1st January