Perched on the 740-meter high moraine hill of Pfeffersberg, the ruins of the Burgruine Pfeffersberg, also known as Pfefferburg, stand overlooking the city of Brixen and the entire valley. This castle was built in the second half of the 12th century by Hermann vom Michaelstor, a brother of the Ministerial and Burggraf Albert. From that point on, Hermann called himself "von Pfeffersberg". The family died out around 1260, and the castle fell back to the lords of Voitsberg.
The castle is mentioned in written records in 1233. During the feud between the Voitsbergs and the bishop, the castle was heavily damaged and subsequently abandoned. The Burgruine Pfeffersberg is protected against the mountain side by a depression with a backfall hill. A prehistoric settlement was found on the hill. The curtain wall is visible from afar and is often mistakenly taken for a vineyard wall.
Between the keep and the curtain wall are the remains of an old well. The entire site is heavily overgrown with brush, making its dimensions difficult to discern. While the keep and parts of the palas stood until 1830, they were later destroyed by students and the stones used for the construction of a post building. Today, the hill and the square in front of it are privately used by the landowner.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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