Kufstein (German pronunciation:[ˈkʊfˌʃtaɪ̯n]ⓘ; Central Bavarian: Kufstoa) 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 Fortress, first mentioned in the 13th century. The town was the place of origin of the Austrian noble family Kuefstein.
The municipal arrangement comprises the cadastral communities of Kufstein, Morsbach and Thierberg; the town itself is divided into five quarters (Zentrum, Sparchen, Weissach, Endach, and Zell).
Glass manufacturer Riedel, haulage contractor LKW Walter, gunmaker Voere, and textile mat manufacturer Kleen-Tex are based in Kufstein.
Kufstein is also home to the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein which specializes in providing business education and is a center for international exchange.
Archaeological findings in the Tischofer Cave in Kaisertal denote a settlement of the area more than 30,000 years ago, the oldest traces of human habitation in Tyrol. Incorporated into the Roman Empire in 15 BC, the Inn river formed the border between the Roman provinces of Raetia and Noricum.
Emperor Maximilian entering Kufstein, 1836 drawing
In the early 14th century, the Wittelsbach emperor Louis IV, also Bavarian duke, vested the Kufstein citizens with rights of jurisdiction. Kufstein passed to the County of Tyrol in 1342, when it was a wedding gift to Countess Margaret from her husband, Emperor Louis's son Louis the Brandenburger. However, it fell back to Bavaria upon Margaret's death in 1369. Duke Stephen III of Bavaria granted Kufstein city status in 1393, due to its prominence as a trading and docking point on the Inn River.[4] From 1415 onwards, his son and successor Duke Louis VII had the Fortress largely rebuilt and expanded.
The possession of the strategically important Kufstein border fortress remained disputed. In 1504, the Habsburg emperor Maximilian I took the opportunity of the War of the Succession of Landshut within the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty: his Austrian forces laid siege to the town, and at the Imperial Diet in Cologne the next year, the emperor resolved upon the cession of the Kufstein territories to the Habsburg lands of Tyrol. Maximilian had the prominent Kaiserturm tower of the fortress erected, which was finished in 1522.
In the 19th century, Kufstein Fortress was turned into a bastille for political prisoners, such as the Hungarian outlaw Sándor Rózsa, who spent several years here before he was finally pardoned in 1868. The town's economic development was decisively promoted by the opening of the Lower Inn Valley Railway line in 1858.
Panoramic view of KufsteinArchitecture style typical for Tirol.Kufstein FortressWasserbastion, a part of the medieval wall.Saint Vitus Church.Annual Almabtrieb "Umzug" in Kufstein
Due to its long history, the city of Kufstein has various sights to offer:
The Fortress (Festung) is built on a rock the height of which amounts to 90 metres (300 feet). Sometimes erroneously called Schloss Garoldseck, the fortress was mentioned as Castrum Caofstein in a document for the first time in 1205. It was enlarged several times. The most important tower, the round and impressive Kaiserturm, was built from 1518-22. Several times in its history, the fortress was used as a prison. Today it is famous for its large organ (Heldenorgel).
The old city center (Altstadt) with several picturesque lanes the most famous of which is Römerhofgasse.
The sightworthy City Hall (Rathaus) is on a square called Stadtplatz.
Saint Vitus Church is the oldest church of Kufstein. It was built from 1390-1420 in a typical Gothic style. Later, it was converted into a baroque church from 1660-61.
A part of the medieval city wall is well preserved and worth a visit. The sightworthy Wasserbastei is in the Northern part of the old city center on the river Inn. In the Southern part of the wall, a former gate called Auracher Löchl can be seen.
Locations in and around Kufstein have been used for a number of films and television programmes: Destiny (1942), Mountain Crystal (1949), Bluebeard (1951), White Shadows (1951), Das letzte Aufgebot (1953), The Flying Classroom (1954), Graf Porno und die liebesdurstigen Töchter (1969), Vanessa (1977), Sachrang (1978), TV documentary series Bilderbuch Deutschland (1996), Da wo das Glück beginnt (2006), Da wo es noch Treue gibt (2006), and Da wo die Freundschaft zahlt (2007). For further information see the Internet Movie Database.
Music
The song Kufsteinlied [de] (also called Das Kufsteiner Lied), originally composed by Karl Ganzer, has been covered by many musicians including Heino and Franzl Lang.
^Chizzali. Tyrol: Impressions of Tyrol. (Innsbruck: Alpina Printers and Publishers), p. 44
^Eisterer, Klaus (1991). Französische Besatzungspolitik Tirol und Vorarlberg 1945/46-Innsbrucker Forschungen zur Zeitgeschichte Band 9 (in German). Innsbruck: Haymon Verlag. p. 104.
