If you love castles, ruins, history, and Tyrol, don't miss Ehrenberg Castle. Right on the German border, the castle ruins are a real treat for the eyes and feet - as you can walk comfortably between the buildings in the area. An ideal program not only for families with children but also for couples and lone wolves, we couldn’t recommend the half-day program more.
Ehrenberg Castle has already been mentioned in one of our previous articles as one of Tyrol's most beautiful and family-friendly ruins. You may want to look at castles if you're interested in them.
The Ehrenberg castle, which can be seen from afar, is located in one of Central Europe's most important fortress complexes. Ehrenberg was once a strong defence system, administrative headquarters, and customs office.
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Where is Ehrenberg?
Ehrenberg Castle is located in Reutte, Tyrol Austria. It's about 1.5 hours drive from Innsbruck. The castle is almost on the German border.
- Address: Klause 1, 6600 Gemeinde Reutte, Austria
- Distance from Innsbruck: 1.5 hours / 92 km
- City: Reutte
- Website
The world of Ehrenberg
The castle complex consists of 4 parts, between which your way leads through a huge, 400 m long suspension bridge:
- Ruine Ehrenberg (1293)
- Claudia Fort (1645)
- Burgruine Schlosskopf (1741)
- Klause fortifications (1480)
#1 Ehrenberg Castle
Ehrenberg Castle is the largest and most spectacular building in the Ehrenberg Castle Complex. Within the walls of the Gothic castle complex, you can gain insight into the homes of former kings, emperors, princes, and tsars. The castle is the oldest building in the complex.
Ruine Ehrenberg offers you exactly what you would expect from a medieval castle: tall towers, stunning architecture, and of course, plenty of history. It can be an ideal destination for anyone who wants to get an insight into the time of the knights and imagine the thrills of the Middle Ages in a castle of more than 700 years.
The castle houses an interactive museum, a nature exhibition, and various historical rooms that bring you closer to the Middle Ages.
A suspension bridge over 400 meters leads to the attraction, located at a dizzying height in the valley.
#2 Hochschanz Fort „Claudia”
The Hochschanz Fort “Claudia”, named after the princess of the time, was built as early as the 17th century as part of the urban system.
The strategic importance of the ridge opposite Ehrenberg was already known when the Ehrenberg Castle was rebuilt in 1546, as it was when Fort Claudia was built. In 1703 the Bavarians occupied the facility, then the occupation of Ehrenberg started from here, and they did not leave the castle until 1782.
The fort was still inhabited in the 19th century but was abandoned not long after it finally began to collapse. The remains of the small fortress were preserved after the turn of the millennium and partially reconstructed.
Due to its historical significance and special sight, it is by no means worth missing out while on a trip to Tyrol.
#3 Burgruine Schlosskopf
Burgruine Schlosskopf is one of the youngest but most important castles in Ehrenberg. The fort's original purpose was to recapture Burg Ehrenberg, besieged by Bavaria.
Construction of the facility was not completed until 1741. After only 41 years, it was left alone with the rest of its buildings until it finally began to collapse, leaving only one castle ruined.
Today, visitors can also see a unique crane from the Baroque era and a lookout tower with a stunning panorama of the fortress and the castle's ruins.
#4 Klause Fortifications
Primarily used by the military and customs collectors, Klause lies in a valley next to Ehrenberg Castle. In 1609 the castle was abandoned, so 2/3 of the castle is now ruined. The castle was built second after the main castle in 1480.
Excavations are constantly being carried out in the former building, so objects from the past are still being unearthed to this day.
Opening hours
All buildings and sights of the complex are open every day of the year.
- Visitor centre: daily from 09:00 to 18:00
- Museum: every day from 10:00 to 18:00
- Elevator to the castle: every day from 08:30 to 22:00
- Suspension bridge: every day from 08:00 to 22:00
- Restaurant: every day 11:30 - 20:00 (closed on Mondays outside high season)
Admission and prices
The forts can be visited free of charge, but you must buy tickets to the exhibition and museum.
- Museum entrance fee: 8 euros
- Exhibition entrance fee: 5.50 euros
- Museum + exhibition entrance fee: 10.80 euros
- Suspension bridge entrance fee: 8 euros
The above prices are for adults (from 16 years of age). You can take advantage of family, pensioner, child, and group discounts. There are no combined tickets to the suspension bridge.
Access-free?
Partly yes. A modern cable car allows convenient and barrier-free access to the castles, making the Burgenwelt Ehrenberg an ideal choice for visitors with reduced mobility.
About the area: Reutte
The area has many hiking and leisure activities, which is ideal even for children. The area of Reutte is covered with pine forests dotted with lakes and smaller and larger mountains.
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