Altfinstermünz

When you reach the narrow wooden bridge in the gorge today, it is hard to imagine that until 1854, all passenger and freight traffic had to squeeze through the Reschen Pass. From here, the old mountain pass road led up to the fortress Nauders with a maximum width of 6 meters and without a single bend.

Finstermünz was first mentioned in 1263 as a border and toll castle. It served an important function in securing the mountain pass roads to the Engadin and Italy - the old Roman road Via Claudia Augusta. Until the expansion of the Brenner Pass in the late Middle Ages, the Reschen Pass was the central north-south connection. Customs and tolls were collected here since 1300, with the oldest tariff rates dating back to 1534.

There were also repeated military conflicts with the bishops of Chur and with the Swiss Confederates in the Engadin, so the castle became strategically important for border security. The name Finstermünz is derived from the Germanic "mintsja," which means "threatening towering rock."

However, almost nothing remains of this first castle. The oldest parts of the current complex date back to the time of Duke Sigmund the Coin-rich, under whose rule a complete reconstruction and the renaming to Sigmundseck took place around 1472. Emperor Maximilian I continued to expand the fortress; it was only in 1779 that it lost its significance as a customs castle with the customs reform. Part of the complex - the Klausenturm - was sold to the then customs officer, who set up a pub with a brewery here. Since 1854, the new road to Nauders bypasses the narrow gorge, and Finstermünz became Altfinstermünz.

The castle complex is still very impressive and worth seeing, and thanks to the activities of the "Verein Altfinstermünz," it is in good condition. The view from above of the steep mountain slopes down to the castle is particularly impressive. The most striking parts are the bridge tower standing in the middle of the Inn with the partly covered wooden bridge, the mighty gate or Klausenturm, the battery tower Siegmundseck built into the rock, and the Maria-Himmelfahrtskapelle built in 1604.

Altfinstermünz is gradually being developed into an "experience castle" and made accessible to visitors. A major project focuses on the historical border fortifications in the tri-border area of Austria-Italy-Switzerland from antiquity to World War II. In addition, cultural events are planned to take place regularly in Altfinstermünz.