During the Venetian Wars, Emperor Maximilian used the castle as an arsenal. The castle was besieged by Michael Gaismair and his 2,000 men in the Tirolean Peasants War in 1562.
A transcript of a witch trial dates back to 1637. Heinfels castle is now referred to as the "Queen of the Pustertal" due to its location. It's now the private property of the Loacker company owned by the Burger family/South Tyrol.