Bruneck is at an elevation of 835 m (2,740 ft.) above sea level, in the midst of a broad valley basin, surrounded by tall mountains: the medieval city is bordered on the north by the Ahrntal valley with its glaciers of the Zillertal Alps, and on the south by the Gadertal valley with its peaks of the Dolomites.
The History of Bruneck: The first mention of Bruneck in a document dates back to 1256. Around 1250, the bishop of Bressanone-Brixen, Count Bruno of Bullenstätten and Kirchberg, built a fortress on the Schlossberg hill, thus laying the cornerstone for the city that would then be historically documented in 1256. As the only city in the Pustertal valley, it soon became the economic center through lively trade, but it also subsequently developed into a cultural center.
Trade and industry blossomed in the city, but later it was above all else handicrafts which flourished. Today, Bruneck has 16,000 inhabitants and an area of 5,000 hectares (19 square miles). The municipality of Bruneck, along with the surrounding villages of Riscone-Reischach, S. Giorgio-St. Georgen, Stegona-Stegen, Villa S. Caterina-Aufhofen, Teodone-Dietenheim, Lunes-Luns, and Ameto-Amaten, offers vacationers some five thousand guest beds. On top of that, Bruneck is the shopping center for the entire Pustertal valley, and today, the Via Centrale-Stadtgasse is among the most beautiful shopping streets in all of South Tyrol.
