Riva Castle

Riva Castle

Riva Castle, locally known as Rocca di Riva, lies in the city of Riva del Garda, in the Trentino province in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in Italy.

The town of Riva received permission to build a castle, from the Bishop of Trento, in 1124. But as Riva Castle was first mentioned in 1393 as 'Castrum Novum' (meaning New Castle) it had a predecessor which was situated more to the west. It was built on a rocky island on the shore of Lake Garda.

In the late 13th century Riva came under the control of the Counts of Arco. After some time, control was taken over by their overlords; the Counts of Tyrol. They in their turn were pushed out by the powerful Scaliger family in 1293. The Counts of Tyrol were able to regain possession of Riva Castle in 1303, only to finally lose to the Scaligers again in 1343.

The Scaliger family, also known as the Della Scala family, were a mighty noble family. They considerably expanded the moated castle as, together with their other castles at Sirmione, Lazise, Torri del Benaco and Malcesine, it was intended to strengthen their total control over Lake Garda. At the end of the 14th century, however, they were driven out by the Prince-Bishop of Trent, who had allied with the Visconti Duke of Milan.

Falling out with the Viscontis, Riva Castle switched hands several times between the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, the Viscontis and the Duke of Austria in the early 15th century, before firmly becoming a possession of the Prince-Bishopric. By 1440 the Prince-Bishopric of Trent had allied with the Viscontis again, this time during the war of the latter with the Republic of Venice. This led to a 4-week siege of the castle by the Venetians, after which they managed to take it.

The Venetians would hold Riva until 1509 and during their rule they restored the castle and equipped it with additional artillery. After Venice's defeat, Riva fell to the Habsburg Roman Emperor; Maximilian I. His successor; Charles V, formally returned the castle to the Prince-Bishopric of Trent in 1520, after which it became a favorite residence of various prince-bishops.

During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1703, French troops led by the French general Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme, sacked the city of Riva and its castle.

Under Austrian military administration in the mid-19th century, Riva Castle was converted into a barracks. This significantly changed the appearance of the castle and gave it its present appearance. Until the start of WW I the castle housed a garrison of 600 soldiers and during the war it was bombed by Italian artillery. It was acquired by the municipality after the war and at present Riva Castle houses the MAG (Museo Alto Garda) museum.

A nice castle, although more because of its location than its appearance. Sadly enough, I arrived too late to visit the museum. Bastione di Riva Tower is nearby.

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Riva Castle

Riva Castle

Riva Castle, locally known as Rocca di Riva, lies in the city of Riva del Garda, in the Trentino province in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in Italy.

The town of Riva received permission to build a castle, from the Bishop of Trento, in 1124. But as Riva Castle was first mentioned in 1393 as 'Castrum Novum' (meaning New Castle) it had a predecessor which was situated more to the west. It was built on a rocky island on the shore of Lake Garda.

In the late 13th century Riva came under the control of the Counts of Arco. After some time, control was taken over by their overlords; the Counts of Tyrol. They in their turn were pushed out by the powerful Scaliger family in 1293. The Counts of Tyrol were able to regain possession of Riva Castle in 1303, only to finally lose to the Scaligers again in 1343.

The Scaliger family, also known as the Della Scala family, were a mighty noble family. They considerably expanded the moated castle as, together with their other castles at Sirmione, Lazise, Torri del Benaco and Malcesine, it was intended to strengthen their total control over Lake Garda. At the end of the 14th century, however, they were driven out by the Prince-Bishop of Trent, who had allied with the Visconti Duke of Milan.

Falling out with the Viscontis, Riva Castle switched hands several times between the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, the Viscontis and the Duke of Austria in the early 15th century, before firmly becoming a possession of the Prince-Bishopric. By 1440 the Prince-Bishopric of Trent had allied with the Viscontis again, this time during the war of the latter with the Republic of Venice. This led to a 4-week siege of the castle by the Venetians, after which they managed to take it.

The Venetians would hold Riva until 1509 and during their rule they restored the castle and equipped it with additional artillery. After Venice's defeat, Riva fell to the Habsburg Roman Emperor; Maximilian I. His successor; Charles V, formally returned the castle to the Prince-Bishopric of Trent in 1520, after which it became a favorite residence of various prince-bishops.

During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1703, French troops led by the French general Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme, sacked the city of Riva and its castle.

Under Austrian military administration in the mid-19th century, Riva Castle was converted into a barracks. This significantly changed the appearance of the castle and gave it its present appearance. Until the start of WW I the castle housed a garrison of 600 soldiers and during the war it was bombed by Italian artillery. It was acquired by the municipality after the war and at present Riva Castle houses the MAG (Museo Alto Garda) museum.

A nice castle, although more because of its location than its appearance. Sadly enough, I arrived too late to visit the museum. Bastione di Riva Tower is nearby.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 746