Rocca di Riva
| Rocca di Riva | ||
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| Alternative name (s): | La Rocca | |
| Creation time : | first mentioned in 1393 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg | |
| Conservation status: | museum | |
| Place: | Riva del Garda | |
| Geographical location | 45 ° 53 '3.6 " N , 10 ° 50' 33" E | |
| Height: | 70 m slm | |
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The Rocca di Riva , also just called La Rocca , is a moated castle in the Italian municipality of Riva del Garda in Trentino . The current appearance of the castle, first mentioned in the 14th century, goes back to the renovations carried out in the 19th century when it served as barracks for the Austro-Hungarian army . The Alto Garda Museum (MAG) is located in the building.
location
The Rocca is located on the south-eastern edge of the old town of Riva del Garda on a small island bordered by a moat and Lake Garda . It once formed the southeast corner of the city's defense system and was used in particular to control and defend the city's port to the west.
history
The origins of the castle, first mentioned in 1393 as Castrum novum , go back to the 12th century. In general, the origin of the Rocca is equated with the date 1124, when the Bishop of Trient Altmann von Lurngau gave the inhabitants of the town of Riva permission to build a castle. However, it cannot be said with certainty whether it was the Rocca or the so-called old castle further west in the area of the present-day harbor, which today no longer shows any traces.
Under Prince-Bishop Egno von Eppan , the complex came under the control of the Counts of Arco at the end of the 13th century , who then tried in vain to assert their hereditary claims to the city and the castle. In any case, Count Odorico Panziera von Arco had it expanded, but had to refrain from further demands after Bishop Henry II threatened his excommunication . In the following period, Riva briefly fell under the control of Count von Tirol Meinhard II. But the Tyroleans were ousted by the Scaligers as early as 1293, who were able to take possession of Riva again in 1303, but had to give way to the Scaligers under Mastino II for the second time in 1343 .
The Scaliger significantly expanded the moated castle. Together with the Scaliger castles in Sirmione , Lazise and Peschiera del Garda, it should ensure control of the most important ports on the lake. During the expansion, the existing structures, such as the keep , were integrated into the Scaligerburg. Its planimetry with the almost square outline, an inner courtyard and the four towers is unique in Trentino. It was surrounded by a second lower defensive wall, which served as a kennel wall and probably lasted until the middle of the 18th century. In addition to the still existing access bridge, there was a second, somewhat smaller drawbridge on the east side of the castle.
At the end of the 14th century, the Viscontis ended the rule of the Scaliger after Bishop Albert von Ortenburg had allied himself with the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti , in order to drive the Veronese ruling family out of Riva. But also the Viscontis quickly became tired and the successor of Ortenburg, Bishop George I of Lichtenstein , who had allied himself with the Carraresi from Padua , managed to take Riva and the Rocca back into his possession in 1404. Two years later it is Gian Galeazzo's son, Giovanni Maria Visconti , who looted the town and castle with his troops. In 1407 the Tyrolean Frederick had the Rocca occupied with empty pockets before it fell under the control of the Prince-Bishops of Trento again.
In the war between the Republic of Venice and the Viscontis, the Principality of Trento supported the Dukes of Milan. After the failed first attempt to destroy the Milanese fleet on Lake Garda in the company Galeas per montes , a second Venetian fleet achieved the decisive victory over the Milanese in April 1440 off Riva. At the end of May 1440 the Rocca, which was still held by the Milanese and the bishop's troops, fell into the hands of the Venetians after a four-week siege. During the Venetian period, which lasted until 1509, the Rocca was repaired and equipped with additional guns. It formed the west somewhat inflated located Bastione the central defense stronghold of the Venetians in Riva.
After the defeat of Venice in the Battle of Agnadello and the related abandonment of Riva, the city came under the influence of Maximilian I , who had united the Habsburg hereditary lands . In 1520 Charles V formally handed Riva back to the Prince-Bishop of Trento, who was dependent on him through the Trent compacts . Bishop Bernhard von Cles chose the Rocca as his residence in Riva and had the west and south wings rebuilt for this purpose, to which he withdrew during the peasant revolts in 1525. His successors Cristoforo Madruzzo and his nephew Giovanni Ludovico Madruzzo also enjoyed staying in the castle and expanded it into a residence. During the Council of Trent , receptions were held in the Rocca. In contrast to the Madruzzo, Ferdinand II underlined the military importance of the castle in the so-called Welschen confines , which led to disagreements with the prince-bishops about the use of the Rocca.
During the War of the Spanish Succession , French troops under General Vendôme set fire to the city of Riva in 1703 . The Rocca was also badly affected. In the middle of the 19th century, the building was converted into a barracks under the Austrian military administration, and radical changes were made to the building structure, which significantly changed the appearance of the complex and to which the Rocca owes its present appearance. Until the beginning of the First World War , it served the Riva garrison as accommodation, which housed around 600 men. During the First World War it was shot at by the Italian artillery. After the war, the Rocca came into the possession of the municipality.
In the late 1970s and late 1980s the Rocca was restored in two phases. Since it reopened in 1994, the Riva del Garda Local History Museum has had its permanent seat in the castle.
description
The facility was built on a rocky island, which is around 8000 m² in size and includes a park area next to the castle, which delimits the island to the south of the lake. The park was only created in the 19th century and appears for the first time in the land register from 1859. From older drawings and descriptions, made by Matthias Burglechner among others , it emerges that the island must once have been only slightly larger than the moated castle.
The Rocca is surrounded on three sides by a moat that draws the water from Lake Garda, as the eastern and western moats end directly in the lake. A drawbridge on the west side connects the castle with a brick bridge that leads from the bank over the moat. Today's appearance bears little evidence of the former military purpose that the complex held as a bulwark of the city. The building has a rectangular, irregular floor plan with four corner towers. While the approximately 48 m long east side terminates uniformly with the corner towers, the approximately 45 m wide south side protrudes from the former mantle wall . The south facade, in the neo-Renaissance style, was built in the 19th century and bears the inscription Franz Josef I with the year 1852 in Latin numerals when the Rocca was converted into a barracks.
At the northwest corner is the 23.5 m high keep , the walls of which are about 2.5 m thick and 9.5 m wide. The inconsistent masonry of the tower bears witness to its eventful building history and the fact that it has been increased several times. Its origins go back to the 12th century, architecturally recognizable by the bosses at the base of the tower. The biggest change took place in 1852, when the keep was demolished in parts together with the other towers, and it lost much of its original height, as can be seen from old illustrations.
On the south side of the keep, which once served as a dungeon, the Ravelin connects with the entrance and the former drawbridge, now replaced by a fixed wooden bridge. The castle fountain of the Rocca is located in the courtyard, which is not very medieval and is used for events .
photos
Entrance with a drawbridge and keep
South and east side
East and north sides
North and west side
western moat with Ravellin
patio
South facade with the inscription Franz Josef I.
The Rocca before the second restoration phase (1984)
literature
- Giovanni Dellantonio: La Rocca di Riva del Garda in età madruzziana. In: Laura Dal Prà (ed.): I Madruzzo e l'Europa: 1539–1658: i principi vescovi di Trento tra Papato e Impero. Charter, Milan – Florence 1993 ISBN 978-88-86158-28-2 .
- Aldo Gorfer: Guida dei Castelli del Trentino. Saturnia, Trento 1965.
- Elisa Possenti, Giorgia Gentilini, Walter Landi, Michela Cunaccia: APSAT 4. Castra, castelli e domus murate. Corpus dei siti fortificati trentini tra tardo antico e basso medioevo. Schede 1. SAP Società Archeologica srl., Mantua 2013, ISBN 978-88-87115-77-2
- Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Comune Riva del Garda (ed.): La Rocca di Riva del Garda. Restauro di un edificio monumentale. Temi, Trient 1994.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Elisa Possenti, Giorgia Gentilini, Walter Landi, Michela Cunaccia: APSAT 4. Castra, castelli e domus murate. Corpus dei siti fortificati trentini tra tardo antico e basso medioevo. Schede 1. p. 437
- ↑ Aldo Gorfer: Guida dei Castelli del Trentino S. 319-320
- ↑ a b c Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Comune Riva del Garda (ed.): La Rocca di Riva del Garda. Restauro di un edificio monumentale. o. S.
- ↑ Elisa Possenti, Giorgia Gentilini, Walter Landi, Michela Cunaccia: APSAT 4. Castra, castelli e domus murate. Corpus dei siti fortificati trentini tra tardo antico e basso medioevo. Schede 1. p. 436
- ↑ Aldo Gorfer: Guida dei Castelli del Trentino p. 320
- ↑ Elisa Possenti, Giorgia Gentilini, Walter Landi, Michela Cunaccia: APSAT 4. Castra, castelli e domus murate. Corpus dei siti fortificati trentini tra tardo antico e basso medioevo. Schede 1. p. 434
- ↑ Aldo Gorfer: Guida dei Castelli del Trentino p. 321
- ^ Giovanni Dellantonio: La Rocca di Riva del Garda in età madruzziana pp. 743-746
- ↑ Aldo Gorfer: Guida dei Castelli del Trentino p. 322
- ↑ Information on opening times and admission , accessed on May 9, 2018
- ^ A b Elisa Possenti, Giorgia Gentilini, Walter Landi, Michela Cunaccia: APSAT 4. Castra, castelli e domus murate. Corpus dei siti fortificati trentini tra tardo antico e basso medioevo. Schede 1. p. 435