Once the prestigious homes of noble ladies and gentlemen or a defiant castle and place of defence - today, thanks to careful renovation, an exciting museum, charming hotel, unique restaurant or event location. Even if some castles or fortresses can only be visited as ruins, all of these publicly accessible walls tell a unique story.
The seminary of Brixen has a very interesting history. The current seminary building was built in the years 1764-1771 under Prince-Bishop Leopold of Spaur on the site of the old pilgrims' hospice and was consecrated on 28 June 1767. Today the seminary is the seat of the Theological-Philosophical Seminary.
There has always been a fountain on the cathedral square, even more so because the square also was the location of the local cattle markets until 1820. Originally, a fountain was located in front of the Trapp house, which houses the public library today. When the police ordered for two large flowerbeds bounded by wire fences to be laid out on the cathedral square in 1952 to prevent larger groups of people from gathering, a waterspout fountain was erected in the northern flowerbed (pictured). On occasion of the redesign of the cathedral square in 1989, artist Martin Rainer (1923–2012) created the Lebensbrunnen fountain. The bronze pyramid in the marble basin represents the different stages of human life and the circle of life as a spiral which springs from the hand of God and returns to it in the end.
The Town Hall of Brixen is situated between the “Portici Maggiori” Street and Cathedral Square.
The present building has a Renaissance façade and a late-Medieval crenellated roof.
Stufels is a hidden jewel of Brixen: Inhabited in the neolithic and roman periods, it is considered one of the most charming quarters of the episcopal city. Located between the rivers Eisack and Rienz, Stufels has a picturesque building stock. With its guardian angel church, attractive shops and artistic highlights, Stufels invites you to stroll around as well as take a relaxing stroll along the riverbank. Whoever visits Stufels approaches Brixen's actual core: quality of life in its most beautiful form.
With its 65,000 square metres of space, Franzensfeste is the largest historical complex in South Tyrol. Begun in 1833 under Emperor Franz Josef, this masterpiece of Austrian fortress architecture was opened by Emperor Ferdinand in 1838 after a construction period of only five years. By this time, however, it had already lost its strategic importance and justification. The enormous effort and the horrendous costs - for nothing. From then on, the huge fortress was only of use as a depot and was frozen in the Sleeping Beauty sleep of a strictly guarded military installation for over a century and a half. Since the military left the fortress in 2003, Franzensfeste has been open to the public and was extensively renovated in the course of two major exhibitions in 2008 and 2009. As a South Tyrolean Provincial Museum, Franzensfeste Fortress is now a magnet for tourists and locals alike and a popular venue for a wide variety of exhibitions and events.
January and february: winter break
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