Fort Claudia

Fort Claudia ("Hochschanz") in the municipality of Reutte was built in the 17th century as part of the barrier fortress system around Ehrenberg Castle in Tyrol's Außerfern region. The remains of the small fortress were secured and partially reconstructed after the turn of the millennium.

The Falkenberg, opposite Ehrenberg Castle, had already proven to be a weak point in the Ehrenberg fortification system in the 16th century. The princely fortress builder Elias Gumpp therefore began planning a fort around 1639, which was intended to make bypassing the castle more difficult. The new building was named after the sovereign Claudia von Medici - the widow of Archduke Leopold V.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Bavarian Elector was nevertheless able to capture the castle (1703). However, the Tyroleans recaptured it shortly afterwards. To do this, cannons were pulled up to the still unfortified Schlosskopf behind the fortress and the castle was shelled until it was ready for assault. These events proved the necessity of another fortification on the Schlosskopf, which towers about 150 meters above the medieval core castle. From 1726 to 1741, a huge fortress was therefore built on the mountain (Schlosskopf Fortress).

Already in 1782, the Tyrolean state fortresses, with the exception of Kufstein, were abandoned and partially demolished. However, the fort remained inhabited until the 19th century. Subsequently, the decay of the complex began, which, together with the fortress, remained almost unnoticed by research until the turn of the millennium. Many locals were also largely unaware of the fortifications around the castle.

As part of the development of the Ostallgäu-Außerfern castle region, initial preservation measures began around the year 2000, which have largely been completed in the area of the fort. To restore the historical sightlines, larger areas of mountain forest had to be cleared.