Walchsee

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Walchsee
coat of arms Austria map
Walchsee coat of arms
Walchsee (Austria)
Walchsee
Basic data
Country: Austria
State : Tyrol
Political District : Kufstein
License plate : KU
Surface: 39.22 km²
Coordinates : 47 ° 39 '  N , 12 ° 19'  E Coordinates: 47 ° 39 '4 "  N , 12 ° 19' 7"  E
Height : 658  m above sea level A.
Residents : 1,936 (January 1, 2020)
Population density : 49 inhabitants per km²
Postal code : 6344
Area code : 05374
Community code : 7 05 29
NUTS region AT335
Address of the
municipal administration: 		Alleestraße 24
6344 Walchsee
Website: www.walchsee.tirol.gv.at
politics
Mayor : Dieter Wittlinger (Joint Walchsee List)
Municipal Council : (2016)
(13 members)

3 Common Walchsee list
5 Future for Walchsee
4 Rural home list Walchsee
1 FPÖ and party-free list for Walchsee

Location of Walchsee in the Kufstein district
Alpbach Angath Angerberg Bad Häring Brandenberg Breitenbach am Inn Brixlegg Ebbs Ellmau Erl Kirchbichl Kramsach Kufstein Kundl Langkampfen Mariastein Münster Niederndorf Niederndorferberg Radfeld Rattenberg Reith im Alpbachtal Rettenschöss Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser Schwoich Söll Thiersee Walchsee Wildschönau Wörgl Tirol (Bundesland)Location of the Walchsee municipality in the Kufstein district (clickable map)
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Template: Infobox municipality in Austria / maintenance / site plan image map
Walchsee
Walchsee
Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Walchsee is a municipality with 1936 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) in the Kufstein district in the state of Tyrol ( Austria ). The municipality is located in the Tyrolean Unterland or the judicial district of Kufstein and belongs to the Untere Schranne and Kaiserwinkl .

geography

Location and limits

Walchsee is located in the Austrian region of Kaiserwinkl northeast of Kufstein between the lake of the same name , the area of ​​which is entirely part of the municipality, and the slopes of the Zahmer Kaiser . In Walch lake district Schwaigs is the alluvial North Tyrol's largest moor preserved.

Walchsee borders two communities in the Kufstein district ( Ebbs , Rettenschöss ) and three communities in the Kitzbühel district ( Kössen , Schwendt , Kirchdorf in Tirol ) as well as the German communities Aschau im Chiemgau ( Rosenheim district ) and Schleching ( Traunstein district ). The lowest point in the municipality is in Durchholzen (Schmiedtal 650 m), the highest point is the Vordere Kesselschneid at 2002  m - mostly the top of the pyramid is mentioned as the highest point at 1999  m .

Neighboring communities

Aschau im Chiemgau , Schleching ( D ), Ebbs , Kirchdorf in Tirol , Kössen , Rettenschöss , Schwendt

traffic

At the turn of the century, Walchsee should have been connected to a local railway projected to Reit im Winkl from Kufstein via Ebbs. In the end, however, only the existing traffic connection was expanded. Today's Walchseestrasse (B 172) is a heavily frequented route. Especially on weekends, the route around the Kaiser Mountains is a popular route for day visitors from neighboring Bavaria looking for relaxation.

Community structure

The municipality includes the following four localities (population in brackets as of January 1, 2020):

The community consists of the cadastral community Walchsee.

history

Before 1900

According to its name, the village of Walchsee is very old. The name Walchsee suggests that apart from the settlements of the Germanic or German Baiern Walchen , d. H. Romans, Romanized Illyrians or Celts.

The name Walchsee is often found in the documents from the 14th and 15th centuries ( Walgsee, Walichsee ), but erroneously synonymous with Waldsee or derived from vallis (valley lake). Walchsee was a "vicus Romanicus" (Roman settlement), which was still inhabited by Romans and their descendants (old German Wallen, Walchen) in Alpine regions. The first mention of Walchsee includes a document from Pope Eugene III. from the year 1151, with which the possessions of the monastery Rott (near Rosenheim) were recorded and the places "Wachreine, Durholç, Walshe" (Wagrein, Durchholzen, Walchsee) were named.

In 1749 on the Mount of Olives, near the current Sedlmayr Villa, a school and at the same time a hermit dwelling was built in which the pious hermits did their school service. The rocks behind the Sedlmayr Chapel still show the cave-like depression in which the Hermitage (imitation of a hermitage, grotto) existed. In 1853 the old Hermitage was closed.

After 1900

The municipality of Walchsee was awarded the coat of arms by the Tyrolean state government in 1972. On a golden background, it shows a blue wave overturning from the left to the right. As a speaking coat of arms, it points to the magnificent landmark of the entire area, the Walchsee, which also gave the municipality its name.

Walchsee has been spared the great and decisive world-historical events. The Romans limited themselves to the great road through the Inn Valley. Except for occasional fires, the area remained an unspoilt idyll until before the Second World War . Through tourism, road construction and the initiative of its residents, the place developed into an ambitious and much-visited holiday destination.

Walchsee is heavily influenced by tourism; in addition, the community has seen a great deal of settlement development in the last few decades, which, in addition to the main town, is also concentrated on the surrounding hamlets.

Legend of the Walchsee

Walchsee, parish church of St. John the Baptist
Inscription on the ceiling at the entrance to the parish church

Many, many years ago there was a large forest on the site of today's Walchsee. It was a special forest with lots of valuable animals and rare plants. Two farmers lived on the opposite edges of the forest. Every farmer claimed the forest as his property. At first they argued, later they yelled and verbally abused each other. The children were forbidden to speak to one another; let alone play. Then they stopped talking to each other. Whenever anyone saw the other in the village, he would go to the other side of the road. The argument got worse and worse. One day the two farmers met in “their” forest. They immediately started arguing. Then there was a long fight and nobody wanted to give up. Suddenly the sky went dark. It flashed and thundered. Then the farmers' families only heard a loud bang. Then it was quiet. Where the two farmers had fought, there was now a spring. Soon the whole forest was gone and there was only one big lake. The two farmers were never seen again.

coat of arms

Description of the coat of arms : On a golden background a blue wave that turns to the left.

The municipal coat of arms, awarded in 1972, symbolizes with the wave the Walchsee, which is important and eponymous for the municipality.

Culture and sights

See also:  List of listed objects in Walchsee
  • The appearance of the village has changed largely with the advent of tourism. The original alley village with large middle-floor houses is today characterized by numerous new hotels. Only a few older buildings have been preserved, including the Schopferwirt inn (Walchseerhof) on Dorfplatz 2. Like house no.74 (Paxerhof) in Durchholzen , it has frescoes probably created by Josef Adam Mölk , which were probably created around 1765.
  • Catholic parish church Walchsee hl. John the Baptist: Today's parish church appears in its current form from 1626. At that time the Gothic building was renewed and expanded. A Baroque renovation , which also resulted in a vaulting of the previously flat roofed nave , was carried out from 1702 to 1704 by the town architect Martin Bock, who came from Kufstein. It is a hall church with a polygonal choir, which is in front of a tower with a pointed helmet in the west. In the tower hall there is a fluted pointed arch portal . The current neo-Romanesque altar was created in 1855.

economy

tourism

Winter in Walchsee

Walchsee is economically dominated by tourism. The offer is aimed at family, hiking and wellness vacationers. The Walchsee is one of the warmest bathing lakes in Tyrol. Hiking and mountain tours in the surrounding mountains with the alpine pastures managed in summer are possible. Thanks to skiing and cross-country skiing in winter and hiking and swimming opportunities in summer, Walchsee is attractive to tourists all year round. There is a 9-hole golf course in the Schwaigs district .

The previously independent tourism associations Walchsee / Rettenschöss and Kössen / Schwendt were merged in 2005 to form the Kaiserwinkl holiday region under the leadership of chairman Gerd Erharter.

View from the Brennkopf to Walchsee
View over the Walchsee

Ski lifts

The 500 m long Amberglift tow lift was shut down for economic reasons following a decision by the tourism association in winter 2018/2019. Mayor Wittlinger initiated a fundraising campaign that resulted in a good 127,000 euros from 300 donors by the end of March 2019. A one-time grant of 100,000 euros from the municipality was decided. With investment in snow-making equipment and conveyor belts, the plant is made more attractive and also sledders and tube drivers ( snow tubing ) are tightened. A modern access system and price increases are planned.

According to Google Maps , the shorter pair of lifts Sonnenlift 1 + 2 are located 200 m west of the Amberglift. About 1 km southwest in the district of Durchholzen there is a children's lift, practice lift, the - longest - lift to the Berghof Zahmer Kaiser and the Ötz lift. (There are another 3 lifts a little further west in the neighboring municipality of Ebbs.)

environment

On a peninsula on the west bank of the lake, a small raised bog complex has been preserved to this day , which has been peated in places. On the dried-up areas, a number of tree and shrub species as have downy birch ( Betula pubescens ), Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ), blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) and Heather ( Calluna vulgaris ) settled. There are also pipe grass ( Molinia caerulea ) and turf rush ( Trichophorum cespitosum ). Numerous rare plant species were able to survive in the peat cuttings and the parts that remained undamaged. These include or belonged to Smettan 1989:

Despite its great floristic importance, the moor has not yet been placed under protection. The area is frequented by bathers and anglers in the summer months, so that the sensitive vegetation is repeatedly damaged.

North-west of the town center, by far the largest and still undisturbed moor area in North Tyrol, the Schwemm . It was created by the silting up of the post-glacial glacial lake and forms a transitional moor . This is particularly known for its diverse flora and fauna. This is where the snipe's only breeding area is in Tyrol. 65.68 hectares of this moor have been under nature protection since 2008 and are a Natura 2000 area.

In the south extends the Kaiser Mountains , which have been under nature protection (10 km²) since 1963 according to a referendum (1961). This protected area is a popular destination, especially for mountaineers.

Personalities

literature

  • Erich Egg : The Tyrolean lowlands. The districts of Kufstein, Kitzbühel and Schwaz (Austrian Art Monograph, Volume VI). Salzburg 1971, p. 197
  • Reinhard Weidl: Walchsee - Parish Church of St. John the Baptist (Christian Art Centers Austria, No. 205). Salzburg 1991
  • Brigitte Eberharter: memories of today. Walchsee contemporary document at the turn of the millennium . Ortschronik, 2000 ISBN 3-901444-01-7

References and comments

  1. ↑ Statistics Austria: Population on January 1st, 2020 by locality (area status on January 1st, 2020) , ( CSV )
  2. ↑ Martin Bitschnau , Hannes Obermair : Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Department: The documents on the history of the Inn, Eisack and Pustertal valleys. Vol. 2: 1140-1200 . Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck 2012, ISBN 978-3-7030-0485-8 , p. 72, no. 464 .
  3. ↑ Provincial Law Gazette for Tyrol, No. 26/1972.
  4. ^ Eduard Widmoser: Tiroler Wappenfibel . Tyrolia-Verlag, Innsbruck 1978, ISBN 3-7022-1324-4 , p. 43 .
  5. ↑ Over 100,000 euros in donations for Dorfskilift orf.at, April 1, 2019, accessed April 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ DONATION TICKER for the Amberg-Lift community Walchsee, accessed April 1, 2019. - "Current account balance: € 127,677.57." For every 5,000 over the target amount of 100,000, "one day of skiing for everyone" was announced.
  7. ↑ See: H. Smettan: Naturkundlicher Führer Kaisergebirge. Munich 1989, p. 153

Web links

Commons : Walchsee  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Walchsee  - travel guide