Fortezza Fortress

Along the Brennero state road, at the shores of the reservoir in Fortezza, there is the Fortezza Fortress - "Festung Franzensfeste" in German, "Forte di Fortezza" in Italian. It is one of the 11 Provincial Museums of South Tyrol, an entity that also comprises other museums such as the South Tyrolean Wine Museum in Caldaro and the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano. On an area of 20 hectares, this fortress was built under the rule of Ferdinand I of Austria in the period between 1833 and 1838 AD. The building comprises a giant labyrinth of rooms, corridors and stairways. The German name of the fortress, Franzensfeste, derives from Francis (Franz) I of Austria who ruled in the period when it was planned. The purpose of the Fortezza Fortress was to safeguard the traffic connection across the Alta Valle Isarco valley via the Brennero.

Partly 3,000 to 4,000 men were occupied with construction works at the same time. At the altitude of the caverns, munition was stored, while the lower part of the buildings houses the barracks. The two parts of the fortress were connected by a stairway with 433 steps, hewn in stone. Even if the fortification was actually designed for war purposes, it was never really involved in struggles. Still today, in the surroundings there are several more pillboxes that were constructed around 1930 by the Italian army in order to once more fortify the Fortezza Fortress.

Nowadays the complex features a museum: The permanent exhibitions are split between the buildings and casemates. The fortress is also venue for various events such as the new Biennal of Contemporary Art Fort Biennale. And how to reach it? It is located along the Brennero state road, and on the opposite side there's a huge parking space. Also the cycle route leads past it: Near Fortezza, the "Pusterbike" Cycle Path, coming from the Upper Val Pusteria, continues as Upper Valle Isarco Cycle Path towards the town of Vipiteno and the Brennero Pass.