Castle Goyen, Medieval castle in Schenna, Italy

Castle Goyen sits on a rise near Merano in South Tyrol, showing the characteristic features of medieval military design with defensive walls, towers, and battlements. The structure is compact and built for protection, typical of fortifications from its period.

The castle was first documented in 1294, when it belonged to the lords of Schenna. In 1384 it was sold for 400 Bernese marks to Hans von Starkenberg and Friedrich von Greifenstein, and in 1422 troops of Frederick IV, led by Ulrich von Matsch, took it without serious damage. A fire struck in 1444; in 1498 Emperor Maximilian I enfeoffed the Botsch family, who held Goyen until 1637.

The castle's name appears in variants: Goyen, Goien, Gajen, and the Italian Castel Gaiano. One tower is called Mils Tower after Oswald Milser von Klamm, to whom the castle was ceded in 1371. The chapel and the panelled parlour in the hall are the elements a visitor can still pick out.

The site is reachable via hiking paths from Schenna, with trails starting from various spots around the village. Sturdy shoes are recommended since the terrain is hilly, and it helps to plan your walk with the local landscape in mind.

The keep is a 20-metre-high rectangular tower with two-metre-thick walls, a form said to be unique in South Tyrol. It never had battlements. Its squared stonework looks Roman but dates to the 12th century, and in 1983 its north side collapsed and was left unrebuilt.