Bruneck rises up in the middle of a wide valley (perhaps an ancient lake basin) and lies at the confluence of the Ahr with the Rienz, which itself flows into the Eisack river. Here the northern Tauferer Ahrntal side valley and the southern Val Badia of the Gran Ega creek join the broad Pustertal. Bruneck wide valley, located between the two straits of Kiens downstream and Percha upstream, delimited to the South by the circular elevation of Kronplatz and opened to the North in the Tauferer Tal (Val di Tures), owes its conformation and extent to the action of glaciers and, subsequently, to the erosive action of the waters. The municipal area stretches from the slopes of the Zillertal Alps in the west to the Rieserferner Group of the High Tauern range in the east. In the south rises the Kronplatz massif, part of the Dolomites, the Bruneck Hausberg with the Messner Mountain MuseumCorones building designed by Zaha Hadid on top at an elevation of 2,275 metres (7,464 ft) and a popular ski area.
The Bruneck town centre is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Brixen and 70 kilometres (43 mi) of the regional capital Bolzano. To the east, the town is 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Winnebach (part of Innichen) on the border with East Tyrol in Austria.
After the war, industrial zones, workshops, and department stores were built, permitting the town considerable economic and geographic growth. In the 1960s, tourism was especially important to the town, resulting in the building of numerous new hotels and guest houses.
Bruneck is characterized by the manufacturing and service industries. Important tourist centers are found all around Bruneck. Especially worthy of mention is the ski resort on Kronplatz mountain. As of 22 October 2001, the day of the Italian population and employment census, Bruneck had 10,692 employed people in 1,678 workplaces, making it the second-largest employer of the province. It lay only just after Brixen (Bressanone), which on census day employed 239 fewer people. Five companies in the town employ more than 250 people each, and five more companies employ more than 100 people each.
All year round many famous markets and festivals take place here. For example, the popular Stegener Market at the end of October, the largest market in Tyrol.
