Abfaltersbach (Tyrol)

Abfaltersbach
coat of arms	Austria map
Basic data
Country:	Austria
State :	Tyrol
Political District :	Lienz
License plate :	LZ
Surface:	10.29 km²
Coordinates :	46 ° 45 '  N , 12 ° 32'  E Coordinates: 46 ° 45 '22 "  N , 12 ° 31' 44"  E
Height :	983  m above sea level A.
Residents :	646 (January 1, 2020)
Postal code :	9913
Area code :	04846
Community code :	7 07 01
Address of the municipal administration:	Abfaltersbach 183 9913 Abfaltersbach
Website:	www.abfaltersbach.at
politics
Mayor :	Anton Brunner (General List for Abfaltersbach)
Municipal Council : (2016) (11 members)	3 Pro Abfaltersbach, 8 General list for Abfaltersbach
Location of Abfaltersbach in the Lienz district
Abfaltersbach looking towards Lienz
Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Abfaltersbach is a municipality with 646 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) in the Austrian district of Lienz ( Tyrol ). The municipality is located in the judicial district of Lienz and covers 10.27 km², a small section of the Alta Pusteria and the adjacent mountains.

geography

The municipality of Abfaltersbach is located in the southwest of the Lienz district in the Pustertal and Hochpustertal . Most of the settlements in the municipality are located in the Drau valley between the Villgrater Mountains and the Lienz Dolomites and on the sunny slopes of the Villgrater Mountains. At 10.27 km², the municipality is the second smallest of the 33 East Tyrolean municipalities. In the north it borders on Außenervillgraten , in the west on Anras , in the south on Kartitsch and in the east on Strassen .

topography

The relatively narrow municipality of Abfaltersbach is traversed by the Drau from west to east . In the area of ​​the municipality, the Drau runs closely along the slopes of the Lienz Dolomites, which means that hardly any buildings could be erected south of the Drau. To the south of the Drau, the municipal area includes the shady, almost exclusively wooded slopes of the foothills of the Lienz Dolomites. Here, however, the municipal area does not extend to the highest points of these foothills, but ends at an altitude of around 1800 to 1900 meters with the border to Kartitsch. The western and eastern border is formed in this area of ​​the municipality by the Auenbach and Badbach. In the north-west, the municipality mainly comprises the eastern slopes of the Bichl and the south and south-eastern slopes of the Rauchegg, which at 2594 m also marks the highest point in the municipality. In the east the Erlbach forms the border with Anras, in the west the Pulverbach, which rises in the municipality of Strassen, and the Thurnbach in the municipality of Abfaltersbach run.

Community structure

The Abfaltersbach community is congruent with the cadastral community of the same name . The main town of the settlement, the village of Abfaltersbach, is located between the Drau in the south and the Drautalstrasse in the north at 983  m above sea level. A. , whereby the village of Erlbrücke in the municipality of Anras has already merged with Abfaltersbach. The main town is known locally as "Walde" and includes the subsidiary church of the Visitation of Mary, the elementary and secondary school with a kindergarten as well as the municipal office, sports facilities and almost all commercial operations. To the northwest of Abfaltersbach on the sunny slope of the Bichl, the village of Abfaltern is 1000  m above sea level. A. , which also includes the individual farm "Beim Troger" in the north. The Trogerhof is located at 1259  m above sea level. A. is the highest populated place in the municipality. Abfaltern is the oldest part of the municipality and houses the parish church and the cemetery. To the west of Abfaltersbach and Abfaltern, the village of Geselhaus is located on both sides of Drautalstrasse and the railway line on the rubble cone of the Powder stream and the Thurnbach at 1047  m above sea level. A. From Geselhaus you can also take a road to the north to reach Rotte Einöd ( 1100  m above sea level ) on Pulverbach with the Bannerhof a little to the north. The only residential building on the right bank of the Drau is the Bruggerhof.

history

The oldest form of the name "Affoltrupach" is handed down in a document from 1160 and indicates an old settlement. The Erlbach, the "small brook from the Anraser Berg" (Urk. 769), on which Abfaltersbach lies, was a border brook for centuries. It is mentioned up to the 13th century as the eastern border of the Bavarian settlement area and at the same time as the eastern border of the Freising area and is also the border between the Görzian district court Heinfels and the court Anras until 1500 . Abfaltersbach remained a border community of the two courts Heinfels and Anras until the beginning of the 19th century.

From 1805 to 1809 Abfaltersbach was incorporated into the Kingdom of Bavaria and from 1810 to 1813 into the French Empire (province of La Carinthie). In 1938 the municipality of Abfaltersbach was dissolved and merged with the municipality of Strassen , and in 1948 it was restored as an independent municipality.

Disasters

In the course of history, the Erlbach was not only a border brook, but also a constant threat to the settlements. In 1802, after a terrible thunderstorm, the congregation vowed "to hold a prayer of the hours on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and a procession annually on July 4th with the blessing of the stream". When the railway was built, the creek was given a deep creek bed and since 1980 the danger has been defused by dams.

In 1882 the Drau destroyed five buildings (Perfler, Rogger and Brugger Schmiede, the "Kolagner" mill, Brugger Säge), damaged two houses and caused enormous damage to the corridors. In the flood years of 1965 and 1966, the Drau could be kept in the flood area of ​​1882. Nevertheless, there was considerable material damage to a residential building (Tengg), the art mill (Stallbaumer) and the sawmill (Ortner). The Pulverbach also repeatedly caused damage to the fields.

Fire disasters destroyed three houses in Abfaltern in 1897 and five buildings in 1904. In 1939, the two Aign feed houses on the main street, which were structurally connected to each other across the street, fell victim to the flames.

population

Population structure

In 2012 there were 654 people living in the Abfaltersbach community. At the end of 2001, 99.0% of the population were Austrian citizens (Tyrol: 90.6%); by the beginning of 2012, the value fell only insignificantly to 96.9%. In 2001, 99.2% of the population (Tyrol: 83.4%) professed to be part of the Roman Catholic Church , 0.3% had no religious beliefs, 0.5% were Protestants.

The average age of the community population in 2001 was roughly the same as the national average. 18.8% of the inhabitants of Abfaltersbach were younger than 15 years (Tyrol: 18.4%), 61.9% between 15 and 59 years old (Tyrol: 63.0%). The proportion of residents over 59 years of age was 19.3%, slightly above the national average of 18.6%. As a result, the average age of the population of Abfaltersbach fell significantly. The proportion of people under the age of 15 rose to 22.5% as of January 1, 2012, while the proportion of people between the ages of 15 and 59 remained almost constant at 63%. By contrast, the proportion of people over 59 years of age fell to 15.4%. According to their marital status, 53.2% of the residents of Abfaltersbach were single, 40.6% married, 5.4% widowed and 0.8% divorced.

Population development

After the population of Abfaltersbach had increased by 20% between 1869 and 1880, it leveled off at around 450 inhabitants by 1939. Only then did the population of the municipality begin to increase, although the growth rate from the 1960s onwards was below the values ​​of the district or the state of Tyrol. The community achieved the strongest growth between 1939 and 1951, there were also slight increases in the 1950s and 1960s. Thereafter, the population stagnated again, with the municipality between 1971 and 2001 exhibiting a birth surplus and a negative migration balance in every decade . Between 2002 and 2011, the municipality suffered from more people moving than people moving in seven out of ten years, but was able to slightly increase its population thanks to a positive birth balance. The municipality had its highest population at the end of 2007 with 660 inhabitants.

politics

The municipal council, as the highest body of the municipality, has 11 seats and is elected every six years in the course of Tyrol-wide municipal council elections. At the same time, the mayor is determined in a direct election , whereby there is no absolute majority for a candidate in a runoff election . The community board consists of the mayor, his deputy and two other community boards. The strongest force in municipal politics has always been the ÖVP , which, like in the entire federal state, does not run as a single party in municipal elections, but as part of several lists related to the ÖVP. Since 1998 a maximum of three lists have been running, whereby the “ÖVP - List of Workers and Farmers” was the strongest list in 1998 with six and in 2004 with five mandates. Furthermore, the list “Pro Abfaltersbach” (3 seats each) ran for both elections. After the 1998 election, the “Abfaltersbach - Young - Future-Oriented - Independent” list was represented with two mandates, and after the 2004 election the “General List for Abfaltersbach” with three mandates. In the municipal council elections in 2010, only two lists stood for the “General List for Abfaltersbach” and the “Pro Abfaltersbach” list. “Pro Abfaltersbach” achieved 65.23% or seven mandates, the “General List for Abfaltersbach” 34.77% or four mandates. The long-time mayor Josef Rauchegger (ÖVP - List of Workers and Farmers) did not run in the 2010 election. The sole candidate for the mayoral election was then Anton Brunner (General List for Abfaltersbach), with 32.74% invalid votes being recorded in his election.

The strength of the ÖVP can be seen especially in state elections. In the state elections in Tyrol in 2013 , for example, the ÖVP achieved 71.05%. In contrast, the FPÖ, SPÖ and Greens only got 7, 6 and 4% respectively.

coat of arms

With a resolution of January 10, 1984, the municipality of Abfaltersbach was awarded a municipal coat of arms by the Tyrolean state government. The blazon reads:
“In a shield divided by gold and black obliquely to the left, a black lion in confused colors, holding a green branch with both hands.” In addition, the colors of the municipal flag were set with yellow and black.

The coat of arms is derived from three historical facts. The Mohrenkopf stands for the Hochstift Freising , in whose manor Abfaltersbach belonged between the 8th and the 19th century. Freising had the Mohrenkopf in the coat of arms. The lion is reminiscent of the Counts of Gorizia, who had the lion in their coat of arms and were the rulers of the East Tyrolean region until 1500. The diagonal division symbolizes the border location up to the 19th century, the branch in the hand of the black lion the name of the community. The name Abfaltersbach is likely derived from the word "alder".

economy

Workplaces and employees

The workplace census carried out as part of the census in 2001 in Abfaltersbach showed 20 workplaces with 248 employees (excluding agriculture), 94% of which were employees. The number of workplaces had fallen by four companies (minus 17%) compared to 1991, but the number of employees had increased by 53 people (27%). The most important branch of the economy in 2001 was the manufacturing of goods with five companies and 158 employees (64% of the employees in Abfaltersbach). This was followed by education with 38 employees and trade with 24 employees. The largest company in Abfaltersbach is Hella sun and weather protection technology , which is based in the municipality. Of the 293 employed persons living in Abfaltersbach in 2010, 83 were employed in the production of goods (28%), 37 in public administration (13%) and 26 each in construction and trade (9%). Only 22 residents worked in agriculture and forestry. Of the 284 employed people from Abfaltersbach (excluding those temporarily absent from work) employed residents from Abfaltersbach, only 107 people were employed in Abfaltersbach in 2010. 177 had to commute to work. Of the out-commuters, 28% had their place of work in the neighboring Lienz conurbation, a further 13% commuted to Sillian , and 26% to another municipality in the district. Another 15 or 14% commuted to North Tyrol or another federal state, six of the residents had to commute abroad.

Agriculture

In 1999 the statistics showed 44 agricultural and forestry holdings for the municipality of Abfaltersbach. These included seven full-time businesses, 31 part-time businesses and six businesses owned by legal entities. In 1999 these farms jointly farmed a total of 1,138 hectares, with 24% of the area being farmed by full-time farmers, 43% by part-time farmers and 33% by businesses with legal entities. The livelihood of the farmers is forestry, in addition, wheat, silage maize and potatoes are mainly grown for personal use. In livestock farming, cattle farming plays a major role, and there are only a small number of sheep, goats and pigs. A total of four properties are designated as hereditary estates . These are the Kolagner, Astner, Troger and Läber farms.

tourism

Tourism is of very little economic importance for the municipality of Abfaltersbach, with the number of overnight stays among the lowest in the district and Abfaltersbach also has an extremely low tourism intensity (overnight stays per inhabitant). Abfaltersbach was only able to count around 3,100 overnight stays in the 2011/12 tourist year. In the summer half of 2012 Abfaltersbach recorded 1,857 overnight stays, in the winter half of 2011/12 1,239 overnight stays. While the municipality remained practically unchanged in the winter season compared to the turn of the millennium, it lost almost 60% of its overnight stays in the summer half-year. Like all other East Tyrolean municipalities, the municipality belongs to the East Tyrol Tourist Association, with Abfaltersbach being organized in the "Hochpustertal Holiday Region". In the community there are several renters of private rooms and holiday apartments as well as an inn and a guesthouse, but no hotel. A special attraction is the Aigner Bad, a historic Tyrolean farmer's bath with a calcium sulfate mineral healing spring.

Transport and infrastructure

The municipal area of ​​Abfaltersbach is accessible from the Drautalstraße B 100, which leads from the neighboring municipality of Strassen in the west via the districts of Geselhaus and Abfaltersbach to the neighboring municipality of Anras in the east and connects Abfaltersbach with Sillian and Lienz. North of the village of Abfaltersbach, the Pustertaler Höhenstraße L 324 has its starting point to the east. It connects the villages of the communities of Anras, Assling and Leisach located on the sun terraces of the Puster Valley. The construction of the bypass road in 2000 relieved traffic in the town. Abfaltersbach is connected to the national public transport network through its train station on the Drautalbahn of the ÖBB network. Furthermore, the line 4421, which runs between Sillian and Lienz along Drautalstraße, has three stops (Geselhaus, Hauptschule and Ort) in the municipality. The Drauradweg also runs along the Drau.

Abfaltersbach belongs to the Upper Puster Valley wastewater association. The wastewater association operates a wastewater treatment plant in Anras, which went into operation in 1990, which cleans the wastewater for eight communities and uses the Drau as a receiving water. The canalization of the municipality of Abfaltersbach was completed in 2002 with the exception of the connection of individual objects, but some renovations in the local area were still necessary at that time. In 2002, 96% of the 169 objects producing wastewater were connected to the sewage system and the sewage treatment plant. The waste that arises in the community is disposed of by the Waste Management Association of East Tyrol (AWVO).

education

In 1738 Johann Anton Aigner donated the school in Abfaltersbach with funds. The owners of the Gasthaus Aigner had the right to hire out teaching and organist positions. For a long time the barn of a farm (“Saxl House”) served as a school room. The first schoolhouse was built in 1904 (today the parish hall). In 1962, a six-class elementary school was built on the previous main road in the Walde district (currently two-class). Ten years later, the communities of Abfaltersbach, Anras, Assling and Strassen jointly built the eight-class Sprengel secondary school on the east side of the primary school building. The community kindergarten has also been housed in the primary school building since 1976.

A public library replaced the parish library in 1974 and was located in the main school building until the renovation, then in the elementary school. At adult education institutions there is a local branch of the rural further education institute (LFI) and a branch of the Catholic educational institute .

Culture and sights

See also:  List of listed objects in Abfaltersbach

• Parish Church Abfaltern

parish

The area up to the Erlbach was cared for by the canons of San Candido until 1190 and later by the parish of Sillian. A chapel is mentioned in the Abfaltern district as early as 1143. The current parish church of St. Andrew was consecrated together with the cemetery in 1441 and later (1765) the interior was redesigned in Baroque style. In 1652 Abfaltersbach received its first curate and has been its own parish since 1891.

As early as 1590 there was a wayside shrine belonging to the Aigner family in the Walde district and later a chapel in which, according to the votive panel, a miracle should have occurred. Born in Abfaltersbach, Johann Anton Aigner (pastor in Payerbach) donated and built the Filial Church of the Visitation of Mary on this site with the help of his brother Karl Aigner in 1772.

A Lourdes chapel has stood in Geselhaus since 1905. The brothers Bartholomäus and Josef Goller built a chapel in Einöd in 1975 (dedicated to St. Bartholomew).

societies

• In addition to the traditional “shooters”, the musical being should be mentioned first as a carrier of culture. The band, founded in 1825, has retained its musical status to this day and secured the next generation through the Abfaltersbach Music School (founded in 1971 - integrated into the Oberland Music School since 1999).
• The singing groups "Frauensingkreis", "Belcanto Choir" and the church choir complement the music scene in the community with a variety of songs.
• The volunteer fire brigade has existed since 1896. The fire station is located in Walde and is equipped with modern equipment. There are currently four deletion groups with 65 active members available.
• In 1970, a sports club was founded that has around 270 members and has two sports facilities with an ice rink and soccer field. The marksmen form their own club.
• The crib association is church-oriented.
• The youngest club child is the “Jugendheimbühne” with an annual comedic play and a carnival event.

A romantic look into the history of the village:

The “Badl” has been preserved in its original form to this day. The typical Biedermeier peasant bath was built in 1855 by the owners of the Aigner inn. The population ascribes healing properties to the spring and visits this nostalgic bathing and restaurant in the summer months.

The glaze mill of the Steger Hafnerei was also restored in 1991 as a monument to traditional craftsmanship. There is evidence that the iron and steel industry was operated there from 1654 until 1989.

Personalities

• Simon Troger (1693–1768 Haidhausen ), ivory carver
• Johann Anton Aigner (1702–1775), pastor of Payerbach, founder of the branch church and founder of the first "children's school"
• Anton Ortner (1817–1885), cabinet maker in Val Pusteria

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Statistics Austria municipality data from Abfaltersbach
2. ↑ State Statistics Tyrol (VZ 2001) (PDF; 4.1 MB)
3. ^ State of Tyrol state elections 2013 - election result Abfaltersbach
4. ↑ State Law Gazette for Tyrol, 1984, 3rd issue, No. 7 “Announcement of the state government of January 10, 1984 on the award of a coat of arms to the municipality of Abfaltersbach”, January 31, 1984.
5. ↑ "Affulterstauden" as a folk name for alder in the German language still in use; see. Dr. Kurt Walde "The communities of Tyrol", 2nd issue, 1956.
6. ↑ District Round East Tyrol p. 171.
7. ^ Office of the Tyrolean provincial government, Tyrolean provincial statistics
8. ↑ State of Tyrol, wastewater disposal in the Lienz district ( Memento from September 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 7.2 MB)

literature

• Maria Duregger: Systematic presentation of the historical development of the school system in Abfaltersbach. Innsbruck 1988.
• VD Fürhapter: regional knowledge of East Tyrol. Pp. 83–85 and local knowledge of Abfaltersbach .
• Agathe Gaisböck: State of Tyrol . Innsbruck 1962.
• Abfaltersbach community: community index 1988 and community statistics 2000 .
• Meinrad Pizzinini: East Tyrol, Tyrolia . Innsbruck 1971.
• Andreas Schneider: village chronicle Abfaltersbach .
• Daniela Senfter: Reading culture and rural society. The documents of the Steger family in Abfaltersbach in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dipl.-Arb. Innsbruck 2009.
• Konrad Spindler: The old pottery trade in Tyrol. Innsbruck 1990.
• Kurt Walde: The communities of Tyrol . 2nd issue: Abfaltersbach. Innsbruck 1956.
• Joachim Ortner: The chronicle of the Aigner family. Lienz-Katsdorf 2003.

Web links

Commons : Abfaltersbach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• History-Tyrol: Abfaltersbach
• Abfaltersbach community
• Entry in the Tirol Atlas of the Institute for Geography at the University of Innsbruck