THE MEDIEVAL FORTRESS KUFSTEIN, AUSTRIA - AN EXAMPLE FOR THE 
RESTITUTION AND VISUALIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 
Klaus Hanke", Michael Oberschneider 
University of Innsbruck 
Member of CIPA’s Executive Board 
Technikerstrasse 13 
A 6020 Innsbruck, Austria 
Klaus.Hanke@uibk.ac.at 
Keywords: close range photogrammetry, heritage, documentation, visualization, virtual reality 
ABSTRACT: 
For further maintenance of the medieval fortress it seemed necessary in 1997 to start a serious renovation of the whole complex of 
the various buildings. To record and document the situation before and compare it to the status after the renovation a 
photogrammetric recording was initiated. We used some of the existing data of this documentation and complemented it - at the 
beginning only for scientific interest - with own measurements to create a very detailed and photo textured 3D model of the fortress. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The fortress of Kufstein (“Festung Kufstein”, see fig.1) is a 
jewel in the lower region of Tyrol, Austria and a landmark of 
the district capital of Kufstein. The fortress, owned by the 
bishops of Regensburg, was documented for the first time in 
1205. Afterwards the ownership was shared with the 
Bavarian Dukes. From 1313 onwards Kufstein Castle 
belonged to the Dukes of Bavaria. In 1415 Duke Ludwig "the 
Bearded" enlarged the fortification. In 1504 the German 
Emperor Maximilian I besieged and conquered Kufstein. He 
then ordered the castle to be newly built and expanded it to 
the size of a fortress. Once again in the 17th century the 
complex was enlarged. In 1703 and 1805 the Bavarians 
conquered the fortress which again came into Austrian 
ownership in 1814. It has belonged to the city of Kufstein 
since 1924 
Some years ago it seemed necessary for further maintenance 
of the medieval fortress to start a serious renovation of the 
whole complex of the various buildings. To record and 
document the situation before and maybe compare it to the 
status after the renovation a photogrammetric recording was 
initiated. 
The fortress rock is about 100 meters above downtown 
Kufstein and has an extent of about 300 x 100 meters. 
In detail the task was 
- an as-is documentation of the fortress in the sense of 
conservation. 
- production of plans and maps for scientific 
investigation and restoration 
- generation of plans for intensive utilisation in tourism 
and planning in historical context 
  
Fig. 1 Fortress of “Kufstein”, Tyrol, Austria (overview) 
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