He leads us past the fresco cycle, one half of the fresco depicts historical events such as the Peasants’ War, and the other excerpts from the mythology of Naturns, into the halls and rooms inside the castle.
We walk through various rooms: the living room, the Reformation room, the writing room and the judge’s chamber, in which the trial of Michael Gaismair, the legendary leader of the Tyrolean Peasant War, was heard. The rooms display panelled walls, coffered ceilings and heavy chests, while portraits of the bishops of Chur look down mildly upon visitors.
It is as if you have fallen out of time, and no matter where you look, the view is beautiful. Above all the big windows are outstanding, enlarged decades ago by former owner Gottfried Georg Haas. “Such a thing would no longer be conceivable today, the protection of historical monuments would not allow it,” explains Franz Gurschler, adding with a smile: “Of course, we are happy about the large windows today. There is hardly a castle that is as bright and flooded with light inside as Hochnaturns.”
The mixture of ancient tradition and everyday life is noticeable and lends the castle a special atmosphere. Different epochs and styles are mixed together in the architecture, and even inside the castle’s appearance is not uniform, but rather an expression of past owners, “as if every generation would immortalize itself with something,” smiles Franz Gurschler.