Kufstein
Kufstein
| Kufstein | |
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 Kufstein
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Location within Kufstein district
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| Country |  Austria |
| State | Tyrol |
| District | Kufstein |
| Mayor | Martin Krumschnabel (Parteifreie) |
| Area | 39.37 km2 (15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 499 m (1637 ft) |
| Population | 17,497 (22 December 2006) |
| - Density | 444 /km² (1,151 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | KU |
| Postal codes | 6330-6333 |
| Area code | 05372 |
| Website | www.kufstein.at
Coordinates: 47°35′00″N 12°10′00″E / 47.5833333°N 12.1666667°E |
Kufstein is a city in Tyrol, Austria, located along the river Inn, in the lower Inn valley, near the border with Bavaria, Germany, and is the site of a post World War II French sector United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Displaced Persons camp.
Kufstein is the second largest city in Tyrol and capital of the district (Bezirk) Kufstein.
The greatest landmark of Kufstein is the Kufstein Fortress, which was first mentioned in the 13th century.
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People
- Josef Madersperger (1768-1850), tailor and inventor of the sewing machine
- Christian Pravda (1927-94), alpine skier
- Joseph Berkmann (b. 1931), restauranteur and wine merchant
- Franz Schuler (b. 1962), biathlete
- Manfred Linzmaier (b. 1962), soccer player and team manager
- Markus Kronthaler (1967-2006), mountaineer and climber
- Karl Wendlinger (b. 1968), racecar and Formula One driver
- Claus Dalpiaz (b. 1971), ice hockey goaltender
Economy
Glass manufacturer Riedel, gunmaker Voere, and ski and tennis racket manufacturer Kneissl are based in Kufstein.
Sights
Due to its long history, the city of Kufstein has various sights to offer:
- Fortress (Festung) on a rock the height of which amounts to 90 m. In 1205, the fortress was mentioned as Castrum Caofstein in a document for the first time. 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 pinturesque 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.
Transport
Kufstein has two exits along the A12 motorway (autobahn) from Innsbruck to Rosenheim.
Kufstein railway station, opened in 1876, forms part of the Lower Inn Valley railway section of the Brenner-axis from Munich to Verona.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kufstein is twinned with
Frauenfeld, Switzerland
Rovereto in Italy
- ^ Eisterer, Klaus (1991) (in German). Französische Besatzungspolitik Tirol und Vorarlberg 1945/46-Innsbrucker Forschungen zur Zeitgeschichte Band 9. Innsbruck: Haymon Verlag. p. 104.
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