Kufstein Fortress, Kufstein, Austria

Kufstein fortress is one of the most impressive medieval constructions in Tyrol. It is located on a hill rising above the city of Kufstein. This fortress has already been built very early in order to control the entrance from the Alpine foothills into the Inntal valley. However, it has been mentioned for the first time in 1205 AD, when it was in possession of the bishops of Regensburg. In 1415 it was reinforced by Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria.

In 1504 the city and the fortress were besieged and conquered by Emperor Maximilian I. Maximilian had the massive round tower built between 1518 and 1522, substantially adding to its defensibility. From 1703 to 1805 it was a Bavarian possession, returning to Austria in 1814. The fortress acted as prison for a number of political dissidents during the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Today it houses the City Museum of Kufstein. Part of it is also used for concerts and meetings.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Emina (3 months ago)
Really nice fortress with lots of interactive displays, full of history and beautiful views! Take the stairs if you can in one way and you will get a feel for it!

AMR (3 months ago)
I wasn’t expecting to see that much, and wow, was I wrong, one of the best castles I have ever seen. So much to see and experience. Truly epic

Rumyana Lazarova (6 months ago)
Definitely worth it, many interesting halls, tunnels, expositions.The space is very large and the crowd was not felt, we learned a lot of interesting historical facts, it was accessible and well structured. The price is very adequate

Niek Verwoerd (tri_to_be_kind) (8 months ago)
I like a lot of walking so I took the the stairs up and the elevator down. There are more stairs and hills in and around the fortress. And it is cool to see the drawbridge that is halfway on the footpath to the fortress! The walking alone made the visit worthwhile for me. Not everything is open during the winter. The restaurant was being renovated for example. I did enjoy learning about the fortresses history. And it is just an awesome place in general. Beautiful views over the town and valley! The toilet is in the main square of the fortress and is clean.

Ziboud Van Veldhoven (9 months ago)
Nice castle with some fun exhibitions including a torture room, prehistoric animals, jail tower, and a deep well. It's about 14€ per person and takes 1-3 hours to see everything.

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