Kronburg

Standing defiant upon a sheer cliff face, the ruins of Kronburg Castle crown a precipitous crag between Zams and Schönwies in Tirol Oberland area and dominate its surroundings. Kronburg was begun in about 1380 by Johann von Starkenberg, but extensively refortified in 1504 by the Fieger Dynasty. They left the castle in 1766, allowing it to fall into disrepair. Decades of neglect had left the castle in ruins. In 1985, the “Save the Kronburg” Initiative carried out extensive and sensitive restorations with the intention of preserving this important building for future generations. Spell-binding views are waiting to be experienced from the sharp hilltop upon which the ruins sit. Kronburg Monastery with pilgrimage church and inn sits on foot of the precipitous crag. In 2005, the Sisters of Mercy, a catholic women religious congregation based in Zams, purchased the castle, the monastery and the pilgrimage church. Lying along the Way of Saint James, the Kronburg “Klösterle” offers low-cost accommodation to pilgrims.