Kniepass Fortress

The main traffic route from Reutte to Füssen led over the Kniepass, which thus represented an important strategic point for the defense of Ehrenberg. Due to the nature of the terrain, the place was also ideal for a defensive structure, as the road ascended quite steeply and the Lech flowed through a gorge right next to it. During the Swedish threat in the Thirty Years' War, the primitive redoubt, which had existed since the beginning of the war, was expanded. In 1632, the facility was partially destroyed and subsequently renewed and reinforced, with a drawbridge being built and the wooden parapet partially replaced by masonry. In 1647 and 1670, further construction measures were undertaken to improve the redoubt. Under the architect Johann Martin Gumpp the Elder, a rondel was built towards the Lech in 1694, the defensive walls were raised and reinforced with loopholes and watchtowers, and the fortification of the Kühloch was renewed. In 1800, the Kniepass fortress was burned down by the invading French and only rebuilt fifteen years later as a toll collector's residence.