The fortress at the Inn — Bavaria's doorstep and the Austrian Alps' north gate
Kufstein straddles the Inn River at Austria's border with Bavaria, dominated by its massive 13th-century fortress perched on a granite rock above the old town. The fortress — one of Austria's best-preserved — houses the Heroes' Organ, the world's largest outdoor pipe organ, which plays daily at noon in memory of WWI fallen. The pedestrianised old town below has a friendly small-city character, and the surrounding Kaisergebirge mountains offer serious hiking and skiing. Kufstein is also home to some of Austria's best-known guitar manufacturers.
Kufstein's strategic importance comes from its position controlling the Inn Valley corridor between Bavaria and Tyrol — a route used since Roman times. The fortress was built by the Bavarian dukes in the 13th century and was repeatedly fought over between Bavaria and Austria, finally becoming permanently Austrian in 1504 after the Battle of Landshut. The Bürgerturm keep (1522) and the Heroes' Organ (1931, built to commemorate WWI dead) are the fortress's defining features. The town prospered as a market town and river-crossing point.