The Triads

The summer house was built between 1390 and 1393 as a summer residence by the Vintler family. At this time it was decorated with the frescoes too. The front of the building is dominated by four arcs.

This extraordinary construction is rare for late medieval castles but not uncommon for the meeting places of the citizens in the medieval towns.

The hall of the arcs is decorated with so-called “terra-verde” painting, but today the cycle of “Wigalois von Wirnt von Grafenberg” is completely faded. Only the “Seven Free Arts” and some important pasts of the emporer-cycle are conserved.

Above the wooden balcony you can see the “Triades” – groups of three persons forming one theme. The first Triade shows the three heroes of the Antiquity (Hector, Alexander, Cesar) followed by the heroes of the Old Testament (Josua, David, Judas Makkabäus) and the three great kings ( Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon).

Further on you can see the heroes of the legend of King Arthur (Parzival, Gawein, Iwein) and the three most important lovers: Wilhelm of Austria and Aglei, Tristan and Isolde, Wilhelm of Burgundy and Amalie. On the right side of the door the heroes of the legend of the “Nibelungen” are represented: Dietrich, Siegfried, Dietleib.

And the following Triades you can only see here in castle Runkelstein: three giants, three female giants and finally three gnomes on horse back.