Heinfels Castle sits on a rocky knoll above the village of the same name and dominates the western end of the Hochpustertal. The hilltop has been fortified since the twelfth century, when the Counts of Görz built it to control the road into the Drau valley. Walls, towers, and a Romanesque keep climb the rock in a tight, defensive group.
After decades of neglect the complex was restored and reopened to the public, and now houses a museum on the region's history with views over the valley toward the Dolomites. The walk up from Heinfels village takes about twenty minutes and the panorama from the top is one of the best in East Tirol.