Kufstein Fortress is the pinnacle of the town, sitting high above the rest of the buildings, overlooking the Inn River, a tributary of the Danube.
Mentioned for the first time in 1205 as Castrum Caofstein, this impressive fortress was then in posession of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria. It was a key point in a battle in 1336 between Bavaria and Tyrol, blocking Charles of Moravia from reaching Bavaria. In 1342, Kufstein was gifted to Margarete, Duchess of Tyrol, as a wedding present from her husband Louis of Brandenburg, son of Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria, marking the first time that Kufstein became part of Tyrol and no longer Bavaria. However, when Margarete gave Tyrol to the Habsburgs in 1363, Kufstein went back to the Bavarians. In 1504, Emperor Maximilian I took over following the Siege of Kufstein during yet another conflict between Bavaria and Tyrol. Kufstein was Bavarian until 1805, during which time it was used as a prison, often for Hungarians, before returning to Austria, and continued to be used as prison until the 19th century. Thanks to Wikipedia for the history lesson!
You can hike up to Kufstein Fortress from the gift shop or you can ride the short bahn up the hill, the price of which is included in your ticket.
You can visit Kufstein Fortress on your own or you can join a guided tour. You do not need to purchase tickets in advance, you can buy them in the gift shop when you arrive - and if you're lucky, you might spot the resident cat!
At Christmas time, a Christkindlmarkt can be explored within the castle grounds offering local gifts and foods to try. There are also plenty of other seasonal events taking place all year round at Kufstein.
→ Check out the Kufstein Fortress website.
