On 24^th September 1994 a light earth tremor caused considerable damage to the neighbouring Fürstenburg in Burgeis, South Tyrol. Similarly large cracks appeared in the Planta Tower, increasing the danger that a further earthquake could cause the walls to collapse. Urgent repair work needed to be carried out, incurring major expense.

Up till then the tower had been used as a depot, which was no longer suitable in the newly restored rooms. The Foudation pro Convent St. John proposed that the convent museum should be redesigned and housed in the Planta Tower. The convent voted in favour of this proposal.therefore proposed that the convent museum should be redesigned and housed in the Planta Tower. The convent voted in favour of this proposal.

Alongside structural clarification and construction measures, archaeological investigations were carried out. These revealed the fascinating building history of the tower. Contrary to earlier belief the tower was not built during the reign of Abbess Angelina Planta, but 600 years earlier. Archaeologists found supporting beams within the walls, which could be dated using dendrochronology. The timbers were felled in autumn/winter 957/958 and spring 961; this means that the tower is the oldest fortified residential tower in the Alps.