Brixen (German pronunciation: [ˈbrɪksn̩] ⓘ; Italian: Bressanone, [bressaˈnoːne]; Ladin: Porsenù or Persenon, pronounced [pəʀsəˈnɔŋ]) is a town and commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Bolzano.

On the western side, there is the Königsangerspitze mountain (Monte Pascolo) (2,439 m) and the Pfeffersberg slope (Monteponente), both of which are located within the Sarntal Alps.

[7] According to Diether Schürr, archaeological finds in Stufels (the early settlement area of Brixen) point to a Rhaetian rather than Celtic culture in pre-Roman times.

While Celts may have renamed the site at some point, Schürr argues, the evidence suggests that the name Brixen could be pre-Celtic in origin.

The first mention of Brixen dates to 901 in a document issued by the King of Germany, Louis III the Child, in which the farm of Prihsna was presented to Bishop Zacharias of Säben.

In 1048, the Bishop of Brixen, Poppo, was made pontiff as Pope Damasus II by emperor Henry III.

On 15 June 1080, at the request of Henry III, the synod of Brixen condemned Pope Gregory VII over the Investiture Controversy, a conflict during the 11th and 12th centuries over the ability to appoint bishops.

Some time between 1851 and 1855, the Czech journalist and writer Karel Havlíček Borovský was exiled to Brixen by the Austrian government.

One provision, Article 4, promised the Italians the largely German-speaking Austrian territory of South Tyrol, which would create a new Italian-Austrian frontier.

Under Mussolini, Brixen and the surrounding villages experienced an enormous growth, as part of the fascist effort to consolidate territorial subdivisions in the country.

In 1928, this included the addition of Milland, Sarns, and Albeins, as well as Elvas and Kranebitt which were annexed from Natz, a neighbouring municipality.

After the war, Austria deemed the post-war treaty to be unsatisfactory, raising The South Tyrolean Question (Die Südtirolfrage).