Kufstein Fortress is the main landmark of Kufstein in Tyrol, on a hill 1,663 feet (507 m) above sea level. It is first mentioned in 1205 as Castrum Caofstein, then owned by the Bavarian duke and the bishop of Regensburg. The article names no builder and gives no style, dimensions or materials.
Bavaria and Tyrol traded it several times, and Louis VII of Bavaria reinforced it in 1415. Emperor Maximilian I conquered it in 1504 and built the massive round tower from 1518 to 1522. Under the Habsburgs it held political prisoners, including about 100 Poles arrested after the 1846 Kraków Uprising.
It now houses the City Museum of Kufstein, and a funicular links it to the town. The Heldenorgel, built in 1931 as a war memorial, is called the largest open-air organ in the world.

Comments