Rio di Pusteria (Mühlbach in German) is an Italian municipality of 3,099 inhabitants in the autonomous province of Bolzano, in Trentino-Alto Adige, located in the first western part of the Pusteria Valley, on the terrace between the Rienza and the Rio Valles (Valser Bach) .
It is known for the Rio Pusteria Lock, an ancient customs house for the princes of Tyrol, which closes access to the valley, just before the confluence between Rienza and Isarco. The place has a certain importance as there is also a monument commemorating the baptism of fire of the Tyrolean imperial hunters (Tiroler Kaiserjäger) in 1813.
Not only in ancient history, but also in more recent history, the country has played an important role. In fact, as in the past, thanks to its position at the entrance to the Pusteria Valley, the town played a role as a "border land".
Before the Second World War, the fascist regime decided to massively fortify the area, so as not to allow Nazi Germany possible access to the Isarco Valley. For this reason, in Rio di Pusteria there are also two barrages of the Alpine Wall in Alto Adige, which defend the Bressanone basin: the Rienza-Rio Valles-Sciaves barrage and the Chiusa di Rio barrage.
source: Wikipedia