Thierberg Castle

Perched at about 721 metres above sea level and facing the fortress of Kufstein across the valley, the castle presents a mixture of residential and defensive masonry. Two successive lines of enclosure form a courtyard between them; substantial stretches of the outer enclosure survive, including wall sections and the remnants of a flanking tower, while fragments of the inner enceinte and the narrow courtyard used for defence remain visible.

A prominent stone bergfried rises within the inner enclosure. This medieval masonry defensive tower reaches roughly 70% of its original height; one tradition holds that the tower’s foundations date back to Roman times and that the structure remained unfinished for long periods. The bergfried underwent thorough consolidation and masonry repair in 2001 and now stands as one of the best-preserved vertical elements of the site.

The former palas survives as an irregular rectangular building, its interior shaped in part by a built-in spiral stair. In the late 16th century part of the palas was rebuilt and the pilgrimage chapel was moved into rooms on its ground floor; an annex was added beside it in the late 17th century to serve the hermitage. The 1700 fire burned the palas down to its outer walls; those walls were retained and the interior was rebuilt and refurnished in a late Baroque style, with additional fittings added during the 1800s. The palas and its later annex remain in a restored yet fragmentary condition.

The chapel occupies the ground floor of the palas, oriented north–south and featuring a north gallery; its east windows are set in rich stucco frames. The interior houses a high altar dated 1780 with a painting depicting the beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Franz Stirz, half-figure busts of the Twelve Apostles along the choir side walls, an 1811 replica of the Madonna of Montserrat on a side altar, and a Baroque crucifix placed between windows. A painting set into a west-wall niche shows four episodes associated with the chapel’s patron, and numerous votive tablets and wax offerings cover the remaining wall surfaces. An upper chapel above the ground-floor worship space now serves as an exhibition room for vestments, a nativity display and relics.

Beside the chapel stands an inhabited hermitage established in the later 1600s and attached to the palas; it has been described as the last hermitage in Tyrol. Stone taken from the defensive wall was reused in the early modern period to construct a dwelling outside the castle. Overall, the site combines well-preserved masonry elements, restored interior fittings and fragmentary defensive works, reflecting phases of medieval construction, early modern modification, fire damage and later conservation.