The Fortress of Emotions

Fort Belvedere

One of the most beautiful Austro-Hungarian military forts

The opening of cultural and tourist sites

ATTENTION: The opening of cultural and tourist sites, access to them, to public transport and to the services described in these pages is governed by the containment measures put in place by the government authorities and the Autonomous Province of Trento to deal with the COVID-19 health emergency. The rules may vary over time and provide for the application of different security measures — from closure, to social distancing, to the mandatory use of personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks.

We therefore ask you to contact the service managers directly for updated information on how to gain access.

The building, in excellent conditions, hosts a museum devoted to the Great War, complete with multimedia installations that provide sensory stimulations to visitors.

“I will be enough for Trento!” was the motto of Fort Belvedere/Gschwent, a defensive bastion of southern Trentino against the Italian army. It suffered a heavy bombardment in the early days of the war but, despite the losses, the “Valdastico sentinel” remained firmly in Austrian hands.

Built between 1908 and 1914, it was the only one of seven strongholds in the highlands’ fortified belt not to be demolished in the ’30s to recover the iron: King Vittorio Emanuele III decided to let it stand as a warning to future generations. It is one of the best preserved Austro-Hungarian forts, and hosts a museum devoted to the Great War, recently enriched with multimedia installations: the “Fortress of Emotions” provides an experience worth trying, highly evocative and intense, based on the reconstruction of the soldiers’ perceptions through light, sound and voices.

Opening hours and tickets: see details