Kufstein Fortress

Kufstein Fortress
	Kufstein Fortress, in the background the Pendling
Creation time :	First documented mention in 1205
Conservation status:	Receive
Place:	Kufstein
Geographical location	47 ° 35 '0 " N , 12 ° 10' 0" E Coordinates: 47 ° 35 '0 " N , 12 ° 10' 0" E

The Kufstein Fortress (incorrectly also Geroldseck Fortress ) is the landmark of the city of Kufstein and is one of the most imposing medieval buildings in Tyrol .

It is located on the fortress mountain above the town of Kufstein on a 90 m high rock directly on the Inn and can be reached on foot or with the Kaiser Maximilian panorama train.

history

Historical depiction of the siege of the city and fortress Kufstein by Maximilian I (1504)

In 1205 the fortress was mentioned for the first time as "Castrum Caofstein". At that time it was owned by the bishops of Regensburg .

From 1415, Duke Ludwig the Bearded strengthened the fortifications.

In the course of the Landshut War of Succession in 1504, the later Emperor Maximilian I besieged the town and fortress of Kufstein and conquered them. He had the facility renewed and expanded into a fortress.

In 1703 Bavarian troops invaded Tyrol and also conquered the Kufstein Fortress, but had to evacuate it the following year after the Tyrolean farmers had revolted against the Bavarian occupation. In the 18th century there was a fortress bridge in Kufstein . As a result of the Peace of Pressburg , the fortress came under Bavarian rule again in 1805, together with the whole of Tyrol , before it fell back to Austria in 1814.

During the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy , the fortress served as a prison for numerous Hungarian dissidents , including Ferenc Kazinczy (1799–1800), Gregor Czuczor (1850–1851) and Sándor Rózsa (1859–1865).

The fortress has been owned by the city of Kufstein since 1924, which has leased the fortress to "Top City Kufstein GmbH" since 1996. After criticism of the articles of association by the Austrian Court of Auditors , this was changed in 2019, since then the company has been known as "Fortress Kufstein GmbH".

Todays use

The Kufstein Fortress is a popular tourist destination in the Tyrolean lowlands . The fortress lift and the panorama lift were built in the 20th century, and a mobile roofing has existed for the Josefsburg since 2005 so that this area can be used for concerts and events.

The former barracks of the castle houses the Kufsteiner Heimatmuseum, in which, among other things, finds from the Bronze Age and Stone Age finds from the Tischofer Cave are exhibited. Works of art are occasionally exhibited in the Kaiserturm.

The organ pipes of the largest open-air organ in the world, the Heldenorgan , are located in the citizen tower, while the console is located at the foot of the fortress. The roughly ten-minute organ play takes place every day at 12 noon (in July and August also at 6 p.m.) to commemorate those who fell in both world wars and can be heard throughout the city.

There is a long rock corridor ( casemate accessible to the public ) and the "Tiefen Brunnen", a castle fountain approx. 60 m deep .

The Josefsburg is used over and over again for concerts and events, there is a fortress gastronomy with special medieval banquet . Every year at Whitsun there is a big knight festival with concerts, knight fights and the reenactment of the last battle of Hans von Pienzenau .

Others

On 3 October 1980, brought Austrian Post to this design a definitive stamp of the stamp series landscapes of Austria out to 12.00 shillings.

photos

Fortress Kufstein from the Inn viewed from
The covered Josefsburg
The Kufstein Fortress, on the mountain in the background the Thierberg castle ruins
Kufstein Fortress from the Bahnhofsviertel
Kufstein Fortress with Hero's Organ
View of the Josefsburg
Kufstein Fortress - inner castle complex
The inner courtyard next to the Kaiserturm
Kufstein Fortress - inner courtyard in autumn
Statue of St. Andrew in the courtyard of the Kufstein Fortress
Sándor Rózsa prison cell in the imperial tower
Rock passage of the fortress
The Kufstein Fortress by night from Endach
View from the fortress over Kufstein
Memorial plaque for
Ferenc Kazinczy
Memorial plaque for
János Batsányi
Memorial plaque for
Andreas Riedel