Kufstein Fortress
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The Kufstein Fortress () is the main landmark of
Kufstein Kufstein (; ) is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The greatest landmark is Kufstein For ...
, a town in
Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. It is sometimes wrongly referred to as ''Geroldseck Fortress''. It is on a hill commanding Kufstein proper. Kufstein Fortress is above sea level. The fortress is linked to the city below by the Festungsbahn, a
funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...
.


History

The fortress was mentioned for the first time in a document from 1205, where it was called ''Castrum Caofstein''. At the time, it was a possession of the Bavarian Duke Ludwig and the
bishop of Regensburg The Bishops of Regensburg (; or ) are bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.
. In 1415, it was reinforced by Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria. It was a fiercely fought over fortress between Bavaria and the Tyrol and had a pivotal role in an armed conflict in 1336, when
Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...
Charles of Moravia had to abandon his pursuit of the Bavarians when the fortress blocked his route. In 1342, Margarete "Maultasch", Duchess of the Tyrol, received Kufstein as a wedding present from her husband Louis of Brandenburg, son of Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria. This was the first time that Kufstein became part of the
Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
. When Margarete handed all of the Tyrol to the Habsburg Duke Rudolph IV in 1363, the Bavarians demanded that she return her original wedding gift and successfully invaded Kufstein. 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.Chizzali. Tyrol: Impressions of Tyrol. (Innsbruck: Alpina Printers and Publishers), p. 44 From 1703 to 1805 it was a
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
n possession, returning to
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
in 1814. The fortress acted as a prison for a number of political
dissidents A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...
under the
Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
. Its name is deeply embedded in Hungarian history. The list of prominent Hungarians imprisoned in the fortress includes: # Sen. Miklós Wesselényi, a Hungarian nobleman, from 1785 to 1789; #
János Batsányi János Batsányi (9 May 1763 in Tapolca – 12 May 1845 in Linz) was a Hungarian poet. In 1785, he published his first work, a patriotic poem, "The Valour of the Magyars". In the same year he obtained a job as clerk in the treasury of the Hu ...
, a poet, from 1794 to 1796; # László Szentjóbi Szabó, a poet, in 1795; #
Ferenc Kazinczy Ferenc Kazinczy (), (in older English: Francis Kazinczy, October 27, 1759 – August 23, 1831) was a Hungarian author, poet, translator, neologist, an agent in the regeneration of the Hungarian language and literature at the turn of the 19th c ...
, an advocate of Hungarian language and literature, from 1799 to 1800; # Klára Leövey, a teacher; # György Gaál, a Protestant preacher, from 1850 to 1856; # Countess Blanka Teleki, a socialite and educator, from 1853 to 1856; #
Sándor Rózsa Sándor Rózsa (July 10, 1813 – November 22, 1878) was a Hungarian outlaw (in Hungarian: ''betyár'') from the Great Hungarian Plain. He is the best-known Hungarian highwayman; his life inspired numerous writers, notably Zsigmond Móricz and ...
, Hungary's "Robin Hood", a revolutionary, from 1859 to 1865; # Máté Haubner, an evangelical bishop. It was also where some 100 of the Poles arrested after the 1846 Kraków Uprising were held. The fortress has an unusual war memorial, the (''Heldenorgel''). This is the largest open-air organ in the world. It was constructed in 1931 as a memorial to the dead of World War One.https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/attractions/all-attractions/a-heroes-organ It is mentioned in the James Bond book ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service''. The fortress now houses the City Museum of Kufstein. Part of it is also used for concerts and meetings.


Gallery

File:Kufstein Fortress Cells 2016.JPG, The cells in the tower at Kufstein Fortress File:Kufstein Fortress Museum.JPG, Animal skeletons in the museum File:Kufstein Fortress Armour.JPG, Display of armour in the museum File:Kufstein Fortress Cannon.JPG, Display of artillery at the fortress File:Kufstein Fortress Keep.JPG, The tower at Kufstein Fortress File:Kufstein Fortress Funicular 2016.jpg, The Kaiser Maximilian Funicular Railway


Notes


External links

*
Festung Kufstein
- official site {{Authority control Castles in Tyrol (federal state) Kufstein Museums in Tyrol (federal state) History museums in Austria Music venues in Austria Historic house museums in Austria