We’re now gonna take a look at this Official Postcrossing card from Austria! Today is a multiview card showing the sights of Kufstein, a town in the state of Tyrol, located kind of in the western part of the country and close to the border of Bavaria, Germany. Kufstein is known as the “Pearl of Tyrol”, and it sits within the Kaiser Mountains – an invaluable find encased in a hard area (at least that’s how I think it’s likened to a pearl). Its most famous landmark, Kufstein Fortress, can be found right above this card’s caption, and you can see the backdrop of the mountains behind it. Kufstein Fortress’s origins date back to the early 1200s, which means it’s experienced centuries and centuries worth of conflict, including the people of Tyrol and Bavaria (the neighbor I mentioned) fighting over possession of it. Today, one can take a gondola (referring to a lift, not Italian water transportation) up to the top of the hill the fortress sits on and enjoy tours of the fortress and check out the museums there. Kufstein Fortress is also home to the largest outdoor organ in the world: the Heroes’ Organ. With over 4,000 pipes, its scores to honor fallen soldiers can be heard throughout the entire town. Perhaps it’s enough to be heard by the departed themselves, then? So yeah, Kufstein Fortress is so cool it gets four panels on this card XD If the Heroes’ Organ makes your stomach organ hungry, you can head down to Auracher Löchl (bottom-left – and yes I’ll take an L for that organ joke…) This is a restaurant and inn at the base of the hill, dating back to the late 1800s and known for its bangin’ steaks. Top-left (sorry I’m going out of order) is a shot of the lower town square, where you can see the Marienbrunnen, a cast iron fountain that looks a bit like a steeple or a tower. Bottom-right we have Hechtsee, the town’s more peaceful and natural side. Here you can do usual lakeside activities: Nordic walking, swimming, and spotting the rumored mermaid “Hechta” who appears once in a blue moon. Actually that third thing might not be a “usual” activity… but if you do see her, please get her autograph for me? Finally, let’s move up to the top-right, where you see Pendlinghaus, an inn located on Pendling Mountain. At an altitude of over 1,500 meters, it offers an incredible panoramic of the surrounding area. I wonder if the Heroes’ Organ can yet be heard even there! I’m just imagining that old 2001 Verizon Wireless commercial: “can you hear me now?” Thank you lots for sending me this remarkable postcard, Klaudia!
