Palazzo Castelmur or Castelmur Castle is a castle in the village of Stampa in the municipality of Bregaglia of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
History The Palazzo was built in 1723 for Johannes Redolfi. Around 1850 Baron Giovanni de Castelmur (1800-1871), a descendant of the Castelmur family from the nearby Castelmur Castle bought the Palazzo as well as the ruins of Castelmur Castle in Bondo. Giovanni was the son of a wealthy Marseille pastry shop owner, who after becoming a successful businessman returned to his family's ancestral village. At the age of 30 he became a property owner in the village,Palazzo Castelmur website-Giovanni Castelmur accessed 1 December 2016 though it is still unclear how he managed to acquire his fortune or title.Swiss Castles.ch accessed 1 December 2016 In 1840 he married his cousin Anna Castelmur (1813-1892) from the nearby village of Vicosoprano.Centro Giacometti - Palazzo Castelmur accessed 1 December 2016
In 1850 Giovanni and Anna began the expansion and renovation of the old structure. Under the direction of Milanese architect Giovanni Crassi Marliani the exterior was redone in a Moorish inspired Neo-Gothic style.Palazzo Castelmur from Swiss Heritage accessed 1 December 2016 The brick front façade is flanked by two large towers, both the façade and towers crowned with machicolations and corbels. The older parts of the mansion were decorated with paneling and wall paper. The new additions were decorated in the Louis Philippe style with Rococo and Biedermeier elements. The walls are covered with ornate murals and silk wallpaper. Many of the ceilings were covered with trompe-l'œil paintings by Gaspare TirinanziPalazzo Castelmur website-Palazzo accessed 1 December 2016 and wall paintings by Zaverio Tessera. The Palazzo was surrounded with an English garden and a tall wall.
Both Giovanni and Anna were patrons of the arts and philanthropists who supported many organizations in the region. As the couple never had children, after Anna's death the Palazzo was inherited by other relatives. In 1961 the heirs sold the castle and surrounding lands to the local government of the Circolo di Bregaglia. The local government converted it into a museum. On the second floor is the Archivio Storico, an archive that stores and researches documents relating to the Val Bregaglia region. Additionally on the second floor there is a permanent exhibit dedicated to the history of Graubünden's pastry bakers, a tribute to Giovanni's upbringing.
Gallery
See also List of castles in Switzerland
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