Hugely impressive, a fortress built of massive blocks of granite, apparently impregnable and dominating the narrow part of the valley south of the Stausee, and yet harmless:

The Franzensfeste was built between 1833-39, named after Kaiser Franz the 1st of Austria and was at that time the strongest fortress in the whole of Europe. However this defensive construction never experienced a real battle and was soon superseded on a technical level, but continues to tower over the landscape today. The village of Franzensfeste lies further up the valley above the Stausee, constructed in 1940, and is an important railway junction: all the long-distance trains stop here, and lines go from here through the Pustertal, to the Eastern Tyrol and via Kärnten to Vienna. Of course Franzensfeste and the surrounding hamlets of Oberau, Mittewald and Grasstein also have many other things to offer: wonderful walks on the surrounding hills, alpine pastures and mountains; tennis; white water canoeing and high quality native hospitality. Franzensfeste is also a good starting point for trips into the Dolomites, to Brixen, Bolzano and Merano or further south.