The town has been the capital of East Tyrol since 1919 but its origins date back to the Middle Ages. The Stadtpfarrkirche St Andra (parish church of St Andrew), a triple-nave Gothic basilica, was built in the 15th century; western sections include parts of an earlier Romanesque church. Today, following many alterations, the church is predominantly Baroque in style. Inside are a fresco by J. A. Molk and a high altar by Franz Engele. The Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan church), built around 1350, features original 15th-century frescoes and a Gothic Piet? standing by a side altar. High above the town sits Schloss Bruck, the seat of the Gorz Counts, built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The castle has a tall Romanesque turret; its main body contains a Romanesque chapel with 13th- and 15thcentury frescoes. Today it also houses a regional museum with Gothic and Baroque artifacts and paintings by the local Tyrolean artist Albin Egger-Lienz (1868—1926).
