Life in the Middle Ages

‘Niedertor mit Gefolge’ (Niedertor and entourage) are a South Tirolean re-enactment society who aim to bring the Middle Ages to life thus rendering this fascinating historical period more tangible and comprehensible.

The world which the members of the association strive to recreate is that of the court and entourage of Tyrolean nobleman Sigmund von Niedertor. The group constructs medieval objects as authentically as possible using archaeological finds, frescoes and written testimonies as sources. This in-depth research can be time-consuming and laborious, but it always brings many new insights resulting in re-enactments which could corresponded more closely to historical events. The reconstructions themselves require dexterity and patience and not infrequently the process has to be repeated several times.

The objects exhibited at Runkelstein Castle are reconstructions that are as true to the original as possible, show us what life in a castle might have been like around the year 1400.

Did you know that the purpose of a historical re-enactment is to recreate a very concrete historical event from the past as authentically as possible on the basis of traditional sources? This helps us to better understand how history can be interpreted.