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Tschanüff Castle is a ruined castle in the former municipality of Ramosch (now Valsot) of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The Lords of Ramosch first appear in historical records in the 12th century. They were vassals of the Bishop of Chur and the Lords of Tarasp. The oldest part of the castle is the main tower, which was built as a bergfried (a fighting tower without permanent inhabitants) in the 12th century for the Lords of Ramosch. A ring wall was added in the 13th century. On 12 March 1256 Count Meinhard of Tyrol granted the knight Nannes of Ramosch the right to build a castle at Ramosch. Since there was already a fortification, this permission was probably to expand the small tower into a much larger castle. The new castle allowed the Ramosch family to control trade and taxes throughout the Lower Engadine.

On 19 August 1317 Nannes and his brother Johannes split the fief into two shares. The successors of Johannes, Conrad, and Schweiker, quarreled with each other over their inheritance. The conflict grew until in 1365 Duke Leopold of Austria was forced to intervene. The agreement between the brothers stated that they both accepted the Dukes of Austria as their overlord, the castle was to remain open to the Dukes and if they quarreled again the castle and surrounding lands would become property of Austria. Despite the severe conditions, Conrad and Schweiker quickly began fighting again, and in 1367 Schweiker murdered Conrad and fled Tschanüff. As a sign of appreciation for his service in an Austrian war in Italy, the Duke appointed Ulrich of Matsch as owner of Tschanüff. The Matsch family took possession of the castle on 17 February 1369.

The Bishop of Chur also had a claim on the castle and fearing Austria’s growing influence in the region, began reasserting his claim. In 1394 Bishop Hartmann forced the Lords of Matsch to give up the castle. However, in the following year, Matsch attacked and plundered the castle but retreated when the Bishop led an army toward Ramosch. In 1421 a peace treaty gave the castle to the Bishop and the Lords of Matsch were paid 2500 marks for their losses. The Bishops then appointed vogts to rule over the valley for the following centuries. In 1468 the castle was attacked by the League of God’s House during a conflict with the Bishop. It may have been besieged during the Hennenkreig in 1475. During the Swabian War of 1499, the Bishop’s own troops burned the castle to prevent it from falling into the Emperor’s hands. In 1565 rebels against the Bishop attacked, plundered, and burned the outer ward. The Lower Engadine residents were found liable for the damage and ordered to pay to rebuild the castle.

Until the 16th century, the castle was known as Ramosch or Remüs after the Lords of Ramosch. In the 16th century, it began to be known as Tschanüff which was Romansh for Casa nova or New House. This was to distinguish it from the nearby Serviezel Castle.

During the Bündner Wirren in 1622, the castle was captured and burned by troops from Glarus. It was quickly repaired and survived the rest of the tumult without being destroyed. Over the next century and a half, the castle was once again used as the residence of the Bishop’s appointed representative. In 1780 it was abandoned after part of the castle was destroyed in a landslide. Wikipedia

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An image of Tschanüff Castle Valsot Switzerland

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Varenna is a comune (municipality) on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometers (37 mi) north of Milan and about 20 kilometers (12 mi) northwest of Lecco.

Varenna was founded by local fishermen in 769 and was later allied with the commune of Milan. In 1126 it was destroyed by the rival commune of Como and later received the refugees from the Isola Comacina, who had met the same fate (1169).

Varenna borders the following municipalities: Esino Lario, Lierna, Oliveto Lario, and Perledo. The main sights are the Castello di Vezio, a small museum dedicated to Lariosaurus (a Middle Triassic sea reptile related to turtles), as well as the beautiful gardens at Villa Monastero. Across the lake in the province of Como are: Bellagio, Griante and Menaggio.

Villa Monastero, in between Varenna and Fiumelatte is nowadays a museum, botanical garden, and convention center. It was founded as a Cistercian monastery in the 11th or 12th century. It is served by Varenna-Esino-Perledo station, on the Tirano–Lecco railway.

Giovanni Battista Pirelli (1848–1932), entrepreneur, engineer, and politician who founded Pirelli & C. in Milan in 1872. Wikipedia

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An image from Varenna, Italy

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