History of Matreis in East Tyrol
The Austrian market town of Matrei in East Tyrol, with a population of almost 5,000 today, belonged to the archbishopric of Salzburg from the beginning of the 13th century . As a result, the area was isolated from the surrounding area belonging to Tyrol for a long time . It was not until the events surrounding the Napoleonic Wars that Matrei became part of Tyrol. Economically, Matrei remained an underdeveloped, agricultural area for a long time. With the beginning of tourism in the middle of the 19th century, however, a gradual upswing of the community began.
Naming
Matrei was first mentioned in a document in 1170 as Matereie . Like the name of Matrei am Brenner , the name of Matrei in East Tyrol also comes from pre-Roman times and is of Illyrian origin. The place name is derived from the Indo-European mater , which goes back to a divine mother worshiped in the Eastern Alps and the Mediterranean, whose native sound was Anna divia Damatria (the divine mistress of the earth-mother).
In 1335 the place was designated in a letter of dedication for the church, which was newly built after a fire, as in bindisch Matrey ( Windisch-Matrei ). However, the name Windisch cannot be traced back to the Alpine Slavs who were already assimilated at that time , but served to differentiate the place from Matrei am Brenner and was also used as a name for belonging to the province of Carinthia . The name Windisch-Matrei also prevailed in the Salzburg law firm and remained official until after the First World War . In order to change the often misleading name “Windisch” and also to stimulate tourism , representatives of the market and rural community decided in 1921 to rename it to “Matrei am Großvenediger”, but this was rejected by the state government. That is why the community representatives chose the name "Matrei in Osttirol". After East Tyrol was added to Carinthia in 1938, the name "Matrei in Kärnten" was up for discussion. However, since the Matreians resisted this designation, the earlier propagated “Matrei am Großvenediger” now prevailed. In 1945 the name was changed back to the current form Matrei in Osttirol (official spelling Matrei i. O. ).
Prehistory and early history
Due to a lack of finds, the prehistory of the Matrei municipality is in the dark. However, Neolithic hunters were already present in East Tyrol in the 7th to 6th millennium BC, as a site discovered in 1987 at the so-called Hirschbichl in St. Jakob in the Defereggental proves. With the Neolithic Age (6th to 3rd millennium BC), agriculture and cattle breeding as well as pottery and house building established themselves in East Tyrol , but there are no finds from Matrei for this period either.
From the early and middle Bronze Age (approx. 22nd to 13th centuries BC), when bronze replaced stone as the determining material, finds in the Matreis municipality are also known for the first time. In the early Bronze Age, there was a melting point at Matreier Klaunzerberg, where ceramic finds were excavated. In the late Bronze Age ( Urnenfeld culture ), East Tyrol was shaped by the so-called Laugen-Melaun culture , which stretched from the Alpine Rhine Valley through Tyrol to the Carinthian Drautal . In Matrei, slender medium and terminal lobed axes made of bronze were discovered from this period.
Iron and Roman times
With the second half of the 8th century BC The older Iron Age began in East Tyrol , which is also known as the Hallstatt Period because of the main location . This period was mainly characterized by the increased use of iron , which had hardly been used before. Finds from this period are particularly known from the neighboring Virgen. The following younger Iron Age ( La Tène period ) was shaped in East Tyrol by the Fritzens-Sanzeno culture . Characteristics of this culture are among other things the typical house shape (recessed houses with angled entrances) and ceramics with lightly painted or stamped patterns. These ceramics were also discovered in Matrei (Weißenstein).
Around 100 BC The East Tyrolean area fell to the Celts . The Roman Empire signed a state friendship treaty with the Celtic Kingdom of Noricum to secure access to the ore deposits. In contrast to the neighboring Raetia, however, Noricum came in 15 BC. BC peacefully to the Roman Empire. At this time Aguntum developed as the center of East Tyrol . Matrei, however, played an important role as a starting point in the copper-rich Virgental and as the intersection of the mule track over the Felber Tauern. The finds from Matrei and the surrounding area are now collected and exhibited by the local museum association.
Matrei in the Middle Ages
Matrei in the early Middle Ages
From the 5th century AD, more and more Germanic and Slavic tribes invaded the Roman provinces and destroyed the neighboring Aguntum. First, in the 6th century, the Bavarians advanced from the north and advanced into the Pustertal . However, when the Slavs were threatened by the Avars , the Slavs pushed further and further west and finally settled the Drava and Isel valleys and thus also the area of Matrei. The conquest of the land is likely to have been largely peaceful towards the local population, as there was sufficient free settlement space due to the emigration of the Romans. In addition, the Slavs opened up new economic and settlement areas.
In the 8th century the Slavic Carantania , which was much larger than today's Carinthia , came under the Duchy of Bavaria and was settled by Bavarian colonists. Slavic rulers were increasingly ousted by Bavarian-Franconian nobles. This was followed by the Christianization of the region, whereby the Patriarchate of Aquileia first prevailed and the original parish of Virgen (later the land dean of Virgen with Matrei, Kals and Defereggen) was probably founded. For the area around Matrei, however, the Archdiocese of Salzburg ultimately prevailed. By establishing the diocesan borders in 811 by Charlemagne, the Archdiocese of Salzburg was able to expand its borders over the Isel region and the area to the left of the Drava .
Matrei in the High Middle Ages
In the High Middle Ages, the Carinthian Lurngau extended from Spittal an der Drau to the Anraser Bach. The Lurngau also included the Iseltal and the region around Matrei. Documents prove that the Matrei village of Zedlach ( Cetulic ) belonged to the Lurngau in 1022 and 1029. Matrei was also connected to the Lurngau through ownership. Coming from Upper Swabia , Count Wolfrat von Alshausen-Isny-Veringen had initially acquired goods in the Lurngau. His son Wolfrat II , who called himself Count von Treffen for the first time in 1121 , not only owned the Ossiacher See , he also came into the possession of Lengberg and a large manor in Matrei. While Wolfrat's son Ulrich II was appointed Patriarch of Aquileia, Wilbirgis, one of his two daughters, married Count Heinrich von Lechsgemünd , whose domain was in Upper Pinzgau . Wilbirgis brought the estates and castles of Lengberg and Matrei into the marriage as wedding equipment. Heinrich was thus able to extend his rule over the main Alpine ridge to the south, but his master palace was located at the confluence of the Lech and the Danube . After his possessions in Matrei, Heinrich often called himself "Count von Matrei", but the place was never a county, it was always just a "rule". In her will, Wilbirgis legally bequeathed the castles Matrei and Lengberg to the Patriarchate Aquileia, but her husband sold all his possessions to Archbishop Eberhard von Salzburg in 1207 for 2,850 silver marks . Heinrich kept only the income from the Lengberg rule until his death. After Heinrich's death (before 1212) a dispute broke out between Salzburg and Aquileia over the possession of Matrei and Lengberg, although other disputes had to be resolved. An arbitration tribunal in Anras finally determined in 1212 that all goods of the opposing parties should pass to the respective owner of the diocesan area. As a result, Matrei and Lengberg fell to the Archdiocese of Salzburg because they were located in the Salzburg diocesan area .
Whether the trigger for the sale of Matreis to the Archbishop of Salzburg was the destruction of the place in the 12th century by a natural disaster remains to be speculated. According to a legend, the main town was once located between today's western end of the market and Weißenstein Castle .
Matrei as part of Salzburg
Matrei was pushed into a marginal position by the new affiliation to Salzburg. It was separated from the Salzburg heartland by the Felber Tauern , which was only passable for a few months of the year. Closer relations with Tyrol , which was now "abroad", were restricted by trade obstacles and official harassment. In addition to Matrei-Markt and Matrei Land (the later name), the Salzburg area also included scattered areas in the Defereggental . However , it is not clear from the sources whether the Kienburg , whose property is often attributed to the Lechsgemünders, was in the possession of Salzburg at the time. In the second half of the 13th century at the latest, Matrei had already received market rights. However, it has not been established exactly when the place was raised to the market. Matrei was also considered the original parish of Salzburg , which in addition to the current parish area also included Mitteldorf , Huben and the Defereggental with the exception of St. Jakob . The archbishopric not only had ecclesiastical and political influence, it was also the largest landowner in Matrei and owned so many serfs that they could not all be used on their own estates. In addition to the archbishopric, the counts of Gorizia and church institutions appeared as landlords . As fiefdoms in Matrei there was the bag loan and the free pen , which however became less and less important. To manage once a residence of Viscount with a judge at Schloss Weissenstein, around 1300, however, a first time Pflegrichter and a bailiff ( Urbar official ) called, who administered the possessions of the Archbishopric.
In the middle of the 13th century, the different ownership structures and interests also brought war and devastation to Matrei. Philipp von Spanheim , Elect - Archbishop of Salzburg since 1247 , was in conflict with Emperor Friedrich II. As he feared an invasion of imperial troops into the Ennstal , the archbishop took the imperial castles as a preventive measure. Count Meinhard III. von Gorizia, who was on the emperor's side, attacked Matrei and Virgen three times and plundered the villages. In 1252 the conflict was finally settled by the Peace of Lieserhofen , through which the fortress Virgen went to Salzburg and Schloss Matrei had to be returned. However, the Kienburg remained controversial in the following years and kept changing hands. The parish church was not spared from disasters either. It burned down in 1326 and the new building was consecrated in 1335.
Matrei in the early modern period
The Matrei market
The citizens of the Matrei market had a certain amount of self-administration from 1500 onwards, when the office of market judge was introduced. This office comprised two chamberlains (cashiers) and three to eight committee members, including later some from the surrounding ranks . Of the adult male citizens was Marktrichter selected. From 1617, however, the Lasser family provided the care judge for the Matrei guardianship, and from 1721 to 1804 the office in this family was hereditary. The Lasser family also converted the office box built in 1530 into a courthouse with a prison and horse stable, whereupon the care administration moved from the castle to the office box.
In 1616 there were 30 town houses in the Matrei market. They had all been privately owned since around 1600 and were no longer castle loans . The bourgeois class was associated with home ownership, and the citizens enjoyed privileges such as inns, trading, brewing beer and serving alcohol. The citizens themselves were usually descendants of former noblemen , arch-princely servants, but also capable serfs. In addition, the Söllhäusler lived in Matrei, who were allowed to build small houses within the keep, and residents who had neither land nor house property. Both groups made up the group of tradespeople and workers in the village . Agriculture remained the livelihood of the market town in the early modern times . In 1592 there were only 18 craftsmen and traders in the village who were organized according to guilds . The numerous ore mines around Matrei and the traffic over the Felber Tauern also offered income opportunities . Trade, however, did not play a major role. Numerous people left Matrei over the Tauern in the spring and worked in the neighboring Pinzgau as weavers , craftsmen or day laborers .
Riots and plague epidemics
Due to the massive tax increases at the beginning of the 16th century, the situation of the rural population in Salzburg and Tyrol deteriorated massively. In addition, the local officials enriched themselves by collecting arbitrary taxes. In Tyrol and Salzburg, like in large parts of the German Empire, this triggered peasant uprisings , in which the Matreians also took part in 1525. While the local keeper was able to flee, the population locked up all other officials in Weissenstein Castle and looted the castle and the official courtyard. King Ferdinand I took the opportunity and occupied Matrei. He recognized the rioters while they paid homage to him and thus quickly became Tyrolean. As early as November 1526, however, the Tyrolean government had to return the rule and the castle to the archbishop.
From the middle of the 16th century, strong outbreaks of plague and other epidemics have been reported . In 1564/65 99 people died of a plague-like epidemic. High death rates in 1571 and 1592/93 also indicate contagious diseases. In 1649 the plague was brought in again. Arbitrary tax increases repeatedly caused riots in the 17th century. In 1645, the introduction of a special tax in the Zillertal led to an uprising that also spread to Matrei. Also in 1672, 1678 and 1685 Salzburg had to send soldiers to Matrei in order to put the subjects in their place. The biggest uprising, however, came at the time of the War of the Spanish Succession . After the Little Ice Age had caused poor harvests, the mines were exhausted and in 1702 there was heavy mudslide . When in 1703 the consecration tax had to be paid for the new cathedral provost, the citizens saw themselves unable to pay this tax. However, a citizens' complaints committee was captured in Salzburg. Other rebels were lured out of Matrei by means of forged letters. Eventually, however, the uprising achieved a tax rebate and a fairer tax key.
Matrei in the 18th and 19th centuries
New construction of the parish church
The most important event in Matrei in the 18th century was the reconstruction of the parish church of St. Alban . At the decision of the archpriest and with a permit from Salzburg, the dilapidated rectory was demolished between 1737 and 1741 and replaced by a new building. In 1776 the construction of the church began, which at that time was not dilapidated, but had become much too small. The work on this was completed in 1783, but the consecration did not take place until October 28, 1789.
Matrei during the Napoleonic Wars
A short time later, the Napoleonic wars were already casting their shadow on Matrei. In 1797 the Matreier took part in the defense against the French invasion by the Tyrolean riflemen, in 1800 the Archbishop of Salzburg, Hieronymus Franz Josef von Colloredo-Mannsfeld, had to flee to Vienna. He ruled his country from Vienna until 1803, when the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of the German Empire dissolved all spiritual principalities. Salzburg thus fell to Archduke Ferdinand III as an exchange for the now Napoleonic Tuscany . , the brother of Emperor Franz . However, the Matreier opposed the recruitment to secure the country, four of the eleven required recruits could only be brought to Salzburg under duress. After the Peace of Pressburg , Austria was finally awarded Salzburg. Tyrol had already come to Bavaria in 1805, while Matrei was now part of Austria. That is why the Matreians did not initially take part in the uprising of the Tyroleans against Bavarian rule. It was not until Napoleon defeated Austria in the autumn of 1809 that Salzburg also came to Bavaria. The Matreier care administrator, Aegidius Kienberger, tried to keep the Matreier out of the approaching conflict, but he did not succeed. After the Tyroleans lost the Battle of Bergisel against the French on November 1st, the French invaded East Tyrol two days later. The East Tyroleans achieved a victory in Iseltal on November 10th and at Ainet on December 8th, but then the resistance collapsed. On December 24th, the French finally penetrated Matrei and took up quarters in the village. Since the wanted rifle commanders Anton Wallner and Johann Panzl could not be found, Franz Obersamer and Johann Weber were executed instead on December 29th.
Matrei was finally separated from Salzburg in 1811 and added to the newly created three Illyrian provinces , in the narrower sense of the Illyrian province of Carinthia. This was followed by the introduction of French laws, French money, and French administration. As a larger administrative unit ("Canton"), Matrei became the seat of a judge and a collector. Below were the "arrondissements" (municipal districts), which were headed by a " Maire " (mayor). The original administration with the nursing court was dissolved, Johann Josef Wohlgemut was appointed first mayor of Matreis. On November 12, 1813, however, the French rule in Matrei ended with the entry of Austrian troops . Emperor Franz I then ordered the unification of Windisch-Matreis and Lengberg with Tyrol. The handover took place on February 26, 1814, which finally ended the 600-year isolation of Matreis.
Matrei as part of Tyrol
The annexation of Matreis to Tyrol brought about a gradual liberation of the farmers from the oppressive basic burdens. In 1835 the court chamber obtained the abolition of all non-original taxes such as bailiwick, hunting and castle rights. At the same time, the free pens that came under state administration were converted into inheritance and the high free pen honors were abolished. The annual base rate for state goods was reduced to half in 1843/44. In 1848 the Austrian parliament finally abolished the inheritance . Landlords were only allowed to keep that part that they could cultivate, all payments from the farmers to the landlords were abolished and the agricultural property became the property of the farmers. These only had to pay a third of the value to the landlord, another third was reimbursed to the owner by the state.
When the Tyrolean municipal code came into force in 1866, the municipal system in Matrei was also fundamentally reformed. As part of Salzburg, the Windisch-Matrei regional or nursing court still consisted of 28 Rotten or tax communities, 16 of which are located in today's municipality and 12 in Defereggental . When Matrei was added to the Illyrian provinces in 1810, three municipalities were formed, Windisch-Matrei, Virgen (with stamps) and Defereggen, which were subordinate to the Matrei District Court. Kals, on the other hand, already belonged to the canton of Lienz . In 1817 the municipalities were redistributed, which essentially reflects the current state of affairs, but one municipality each Windisch-Matrei-Markt and Windisch-Matrei-Land was formed, and the two municipalities were only merged in 1938. The municipal boundaries were now set permanently, only in 1856 was Matrei awarded the dark side of the Frosnitz valley, which formerly belonged to Virgen .
The office of mayor was created in 1866 to administer the communities, but the mayors still had few rights and were subject to the supervision of the regional court. They were assisted by the committee members (local councils), three in the market and 14 in the rural community. However, the elections were very undemocratic due to the restricted suffrage and were very one-sided even after the change in suffrage in 1907, as the Matreier only elected members of the Christian Social Party or the Tyrolean farmers' union. Between 1868 and 1895 Matrei also had a representative in the Tyrolean state parliament.
Boom in tourism
Around 1860 the livelihood of the Matrei population was still based almost exclusively on agriculture. A little later, tourism was added as a source of income. For Matrei, alpinism was decisive , because when the first ascent of the Großvenediger from the Tyrolean side succeeded in 1865 , the Innergschlöß , the Matreier Tauernhaus and the market itself became one of the first tourism centers in the Eastern Alps. Above all, the business of inns and the transport industry flourished, but farmers and shepherds were also able to earn extra income as mountain guides. The trailblazer for tourism was the German and Austrian Alpine Association , which built the oldest Prague hut on the Großvenediger in 1871 . Alpine Club member Hermenegild Hammerl, Rauterwirt in Matrei, built the hut on behalf of the Prague section and also built the house on Kals-Matreier-Törl and the bridle path leading there. The “Iseltal in Windisch-Matrei” section can also be traced back to him.
In the following decades more mountain huts were built and hiking trails were expanded. At the end of the 19th century, the castle owners of Weißenstein finally became the promoters of tourism. Baron Adalbert von Mengershausen, chairman of the Alpine Club himself, and the Munich insurance director Karl von Thieme invested a lot of money in tourism and gave the Matreier Alpine Club section the financial backing to build the hiking trail through the Prosseggklamm between 1902 and 1912, for example . In 1914 there were already six other inns (Wohlgemuth, Plangger, Brau, Hutter, Panzl and Tobias Unterrainer) as well as five private room landlords in addition to the large Gasthof Rauter (40 rooms).
Poverty, mudslides and the major fire at the end of the 19th century
The economic situation of the population did not change significantly in the second half of the 19th century. Large numbers of people still suffered from poverty and had to look for work outside the community. In 1889, for example, 100 young Matreians left the town over the summer months to work in the mines in Styria (especially in Eisenerz ). Poverty also led to an emigration movement from the second half of the 19th century, which continued with strong fluctuations until the Second World War . In addition to everyday needs, there were also serious catastrophes at the end of the 19th century. First of all, the village of Bichl burned down from March 30th to March 31st , and nine properties were destroyed. On July 21 and 22, 1895, the Bretterwandbach devastated Matrei and buried parts of the village.
However, the greatest catastrophe occurred on May 10th, 1897. After a house caught fire in the area of the Matreier Hospital , the flying sparks caused by the Tauern wind triggered a major fire. The rear market burned down completely and the front market was also affected. Within three hours, 78 objects were on fire. Only 10 houses in the upper Patergasse, three houses in the Rieglergasse and one house in the Hintermarkt could be saved. Thanks to the efforts of the Virgener and Mitteldorfer fire brigades , the church, the Widum and the parish feeder could also be saved from the fire. It took two years for the place to be rebuilt. A reconstruction of the place away from the Bretterwandbach was rejected in favor of building the creek.
Matrei in the 20th century
Investments in infrastructure
While Lienz was connected to higher-ranking transport networks through the construction of the Drautal and Pustertal railways in 1870/71, Matrei was denied this for the time being. A railway line over the Felber Tauern was discarded in favor of the Mallnitz - Bad Gastein ( Tauernbahn ) railway project , and a local railway was also rejected after debates at the beginning of the 20th century. In order to increase tourism in Matrei, road construction has now been pushed. The Iseltalstraße in the municipality of Matreis to Huben was completely renewed in the 1880s and after long negotiations about sharing the maintenance costs, the construction of the new Iseltalstraße began in 1901. A toll station was set up at Gasthaus Brühl to finance this. The road conditions were subsequently so bad that the road was closed to cars and could not be opened again to cars until 1923, without the road conditions having changed. From 1913 onwards, a bus line was introduced that ran three times a day. Plans to build a power plant in the Proseggklamm first appeared in 1903, and this power plant should also have supplied the city of Lienz and the planned Iseltalbahn. However, as the negotiations failed and a power station near Huben did not materialize, a small, private power station was completed in November 1913 . After an “energy crisis” in 1919, a community power station was also built at the Steiner waterfall . Overall, the community power station was expanded three times and taken over by TIWAG in 1979 . Between 1943 and 1969 it also supplied the Virgen Valley . The supply with a high pressure water pipe, however, took longer. A project for this had already been worked out in 1913, but it was not until 1930 that there was the necessary majority in the local council. In August 1931, the first hydrants could already be opened by Mayor Obwexer, the house connections were still being completed at that time. The Matreier had to wait until the 1960s for a modern sewer system .
Matrei in the interwar period
The dominance of conservative parties remained in Matrei even after the First World War . In the state elections in 1921, for example, there was not a single vote for the Social Democrats in either of the Matreier communities. Only the National Socialists achieved a certain number of visitors at the beginning of the 1930s, but there were no physical disputes in Matrei. The Social Democrats remained quiet, only in Huben was a leaflet called for the union of farmers and workers. However, the proclamation of the authoritarian corporate state in 1934 also made itself felt in Matrei. Numerous organizations of the Austrofascists now dominated the town with rallies and events. The elections to the local council were abolished, the councilors are now selected by the governor . The importance of tourism also increased in the interwar period. In 1929, 8 inn owners and 23 private room landlords benefited from him. However, there was no further upswing, as the Felbertauernstrasse was not expanded and the thousand-mark barrier massively restricted holiday traffic from the German Reich from 1933. In 1935 there were already 5828 overnight stays in Matrei, with 78% of the 2532 visitors from Austria (57% from Vienna) and 12% from Czechoslovakia .
Matrei in the time of National Socialism
The so-called community day after 1934 only lasted for a short time. After Hitler's invasion , it was dissolved and formerly illegal Austrian National Socialists and new party members took over power. The planned amalgamation of the market town with the rural town was decided on May 20, 1938. The population was now organized strictly in the National Socialist sense through voluntary participation or compulsory membership. In addition, there was the Reich Labor Service and recruiting for the military. In September 1940, one of the three East Tyrolean labor maiden camps was built on the old market square, from where the girls came to work on the farms after 14 days of training. French prisoners of war were also on duty in Matrei. An air station was built at Klaunz-Bühel and an army barracks at Gries. After the capitulation, the first English soldier arrived on May 8, 1945 on a motorcycle .
Matrei after 1945
A new municipal council was elected in Matrei as early as the spring of 1946, and while the merger of the two municipalities continued, the annexation of East Tyrol to Carinthia was reversed in 1947. However, the dominance of the ÖVP continued to exist in the coming decades despite population growth and structural change. Tourism experienced an extraordinary boom. As early as 1948, the best result to date was achieved with almost 10,000 overnight stays. Celebrities also came to Matrei, including Leopold Figl , who visited the place twenty times. In the 1950s, it was also possible to increase winter tourism in Matrei for the first time. Between the winter seasons 1952/53 and 1960/61, the number of overnight stays increased from 783 to 5654.
A further increase in tourism was achieved through the construction of the Felbertauernstrasse . Since the construction of the road threatened to fail again due to lack of money, the East Tyroleans founded the Felbertauern-Aktiengesellschaft and the community burdened their budget for building the road. Matrei invested 1.7 million schillings at the time and is now the third largest shareholder after the federal and state levels. The road opened in 1967 and the general boom in European tourism from the 1960s onwards brought the community 27,000 winter nights in the 1971/72 winter season and 230,000 summer nights in 1973. As a result, however, tourism stagnated, which is why the Goldried ski area was opened in the early 1980s . In 1982/83 the number of winter nights could be increased to over 60,000 and summer tourism was also able to overcome the hurdle of 300,000 overnight stays at the beginning of the 90s. The establishment of the Hohe Tauern National Park finally steered tourism in the direction of gentle tourism.
Matrei in the 21st century
While the planned reservoir in the neighboring community of Kals am Großglockner ( Kalser Dorfertal ) caused a stir in the 1970s and 1980s, the options report published by TIWAG in 2005 led to resistance in the Matrei population. In addition to other power plant projects, the options report also provides for the construction of a pumped storage power plant in Matrei-Raneburg , which would include the construction of a huge reservoir above the hamlet of Raneburg and a damming of the Tauernbach . Furthermore, an equalization basin above the market would be necessary. While the state government and the Mayor of Matrei, Andreas Köll , voted in favor of the project, the Matreier municipal council and the district farmers' association voted against the project. In addition to the local population, who have organized themselves in a citizens' initiative, the Greens and district parties of the SPÖ and the FPÖ are also speaking out against the planned power plant. In 2002 the Matrei District Court was dissolved. Lienz is now the only place of jurisdiction in East Tyrol. In June 2006 the new Matreier Tauern Stadium was opened. The first game took place against local rivals Rapid Lienz in front of 1,300 spectators.
Economic history
tourism
Tourism only began to develop in Matrei with the spread of mountaineering . Significant for Matrei in this context was the first ascent of the Großvenediger in 1865. After that, the Innergschlöß , the Matreier Tauernhaus and the market itself became one of the first tourist centers in the Eastern Alps . Tourism continued to develop in the interwar period. In 1929 there were already 8 inn owners and 23 private room renters and in 1935 there were already 5828 overnight stays in Matrei, with 78% of the 2532 visitors from Austria (57% from Vienna ) and 12% from Czechoslovakia . After 1945, tourism could be gradually increased. After the best result so far was achieved in 1948 with almost 10,000 overnight stays, winter tourism was subsequently activated. Between 1952/53 and 1960/61 the number of overnight stays increased from 783 to 5,654.
The construction of the Felbertauernstrasse triggered another boom . In 1971/72 there were already 27,000 winter nights and in 1973 230,000 summer nights. In order to achieve better utilization in winter, the Goldried ski area was opened in the early 1980s , which more than doubled winter nights. In 1998, a monocable gondola was finally built. The most important pillar, however, remained summer tourism, which was steered in a gentle direction with the establishment of the "Hohe Tauern" National Park. Currently, around 260,000-300,000 overnight stays are counted all year round.
Industry, trade and commerce
Commercial and craft businesses were concentrated on the Matrei market as early as the 19th century. In 1888 there were 70 companies in the market (with 98 houses), but due to the low economic output in 1878 only 14 companies were eligible to participate in the elections of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in the rural community there was only one company. As a rule, the market townspeople ran a small farm on the side, but in the rural community the farmers were often also involved in handicrafts. The size of the business remained small, only the larger inns employed a larger number of people. After all, major construction projects after the First World War revived the construction and transport industries. However, with the exception of an alpine dairy founded in 1930, no significant businesses were established . Only with the general boom of the 1960s and 1970s as well as tourism and the construction of the Felbertauernstrasse did the situation begin to change. From the end of the 1960s onwards, numerous commercial enterprises set up branches in Matrei and were thus able to stop the exodus of the rapidly growing population. An industrial company also settled here. Today, in addition to numerous craft and trade companies, there is an industrial company with more than 200 employees and four banks in the Matrei market. The grocery trade, on the other hand, has shifted from the center to the outskirts due to the parking lot situation. Further companies have settled in the cadastral community of Matrei-Land, particularly in the Seblas commercial and industrial area.
Agriculture
| Livestock between 1812 and 1991 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock | 1812 | 1951 | 1991 |
| Horses | 167 | 258 | 116 |
| Bovine | 1.956 | 2,239 | 2,654 |
| Pigs | 898 | 898 | 441 |
| Sheep | 2,587 | 1,781 | 2,855 |
| Goats | 1,098 | 784 | 413 |
| poultry | - | 3,019 | 2.119 |
The major clearing period in the region took place between the 11th and 13th centuries. In the first two centuries the more favorable soils were cultivated, in the 13th century the less favorable ones. At first there were mainly large cattle farms that did not grow grain and lived on sheep breeding. Cattle breeding did not begin until the 15th century. Until the mid-16th century, however, the large courtyards of the former were bags fief fragmented by inheritance already into several courtyards. Other farms had emerged from the Maier farms. The cultivation of grain remained of little importance in the 17th century, rye and barley were predominant . The livestock in 1624 in Markt and Land Matrei was 2,204 head of cattle , 3,650 sheep and 113 horses .
For a long time there were hardly any changes in the agricultural sector. Around 1870, however, efforts finally began in Matrei to implement reforms in agriculture through an information and education campaign. In particular, attempts were made to encourage farmers to switch from growing cereals to raising livestock. In 1900, a cattle breeding cooperative was founded for this purpose, which organized cattle and breeding animal exhibitions. The dairy industry, however, remained a stepchild of the farmers and it was not until November 1930 that a dairy was founded in the Matrei market. The insecurities of the livestock industry and the general hardship did not make the cultivation of grain go away. It wasn't until 1960 that there was a serious change. Between 1961 and 1977 the proportion of the rural population fell from 40.1% to 19.8%. The cultivation of grain was practically given up. While pig, poultry and goat farming has been continuously declining since the early 19th century, cattle farming has increased, in particular due to growing farm sizes. Sheep breeding, on the other hand, experienced ups and downs, which, after a sharp decline in the middle of the 20th century, recorded growth again.
In 1995 there were still 66 full-time farms, 75 part-time farms and 165 part-time farms in Matrei, the most important economic form being cattle breeding. The farm size averaged 10 to 15 large cattle.
History of the Matreier school system
A teacher from 1562 is documented for the first time. As a market place, Matrei probably had a schoolmaster as early as 1300. At first, craftsmen or foresters often served as teachers, while a farmhouse parlor served as the classroom. For a well-founded education, however, the children were sent to a monastery or cathedral school, and Lienz was later added as a school location. In Matrei, the teacher later got his own classroom and the parents paid a low school fee. The teacher received additional income through an annual grant, and later the teaching post was linked to the office of sacristan and organist . In the 18th century the appointed teachers faced competition from the forbidden so-called angle schools . Even after the introduction of the Salzburg State School Ordinance at the time of Maria Theresa , only 60 to 70 children of 210 school-age children attended the winter school (from Advent to Easter ) and six to eight children attended the summer school due to a lack of funds . After all, the first school and sacristan's house was built in 1803, and it still stands on the church square and housed a class. By 1814, only just under half of the school-age children attended school, but a decade later it was achieved that hardly any child was illiterate . The small schools in Seinitzen, Feld, Moos and the schools established in Zedlach and Hinteregg in 1816 also took care of this . The school days lasted around 1850 only from Martini to Georgi .
In 1865, the school system changed from the church to the hands of the civil administration, which inaugurated the new school building on Kirchenplatz in 1866. In 1927 already 229 children attended the market school, in 1934 there were 356 pupils (an average of 58 per class). In 1943 the first secondary school was set up in the old schoolhouse, in which talented elementary school students were taught according to the secondary school curriculum. In 1944, the secondary school temporarily moved to a previously planned kindergarten . From 1960, children from the Virgental , the Kalser Tal and the Defereggental also attended secondary school here; In the 1970s there was an expositur in Kals and the establishment of the secondary school in St. Jakob. In 1961, a new school center was opened at the former parish hall, to which the elementary school was initially relocated and, after 1970, the secondary school. In 1968 a special school was founded, for which an extension was made at the school center from 1978 to 1980. In 1966 the polytechnic course was set up.
See also
literature
- Michael Forcher (Red.): Matrei in Osttirol. A parish book for the 700th anniversary of the first mention as market 1280–1980. Tyrolia, Matrei 1980, 1996.
- Catholic Tyrolean Teachers' Association (Ed.): District Studies East Tyrol. Innsbruck 2001. ISBN 3-7066-2267-X
- Günther Ipsen: The name Matrei . In: Contributions to local history from Matrei am Brenner. Festschrift for the 1700th anniversary. Wagner, Innsbruck 1950, pp. 9-16.
Coordinates: 47 ° 0 ' N , 12 ° 32' E