Windhaag near Freistadt

market community Windhaag near Freistadt
coat of arms	Austria map
Basic data
Country:	Austria
State :	Upper Austria
Political District :	Free City
License plate :	FR
Surface:	42.83 km²
Coordinates :	48 ° 35 '  N , 14 ° 34'  E Coordinates: 48 ° 35 '10 "  N , 14 ° 33' 50"  E
Height :	723  m above sea level A.
Residents :	1,570 (January 1, 2020)
Population density :	37 inhabitants per km²
Postal code :	4263
Area code :	07943
Community code :	4 06 26
Address of the municipal administration:	Markt 1 4263 Windhaag near Freistadt
Website:	www.windhaag.at
politics
Mayor :	Martin Kapeller ( ÖVP )
Municipal Council : (2015) (19 members)	11 4th 4th 11 4th 4th  A total of 19 seats ÖVP : 11 FPÖ : 4 SPÖ : 4
Location of Windhaag near Freistadt in the Freistadt district
Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Windhaag bei Freistadt is a market town in Upper Austria in the Freistadt district in the Mühlviertel with 1570 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020). The community is located in the judicial district of Freistadt .

geography

Windhaag near Freistadt is 723  m above sea level in the Mühlviertel. The extension is 9 km from north to south, and 9.5 km from west to east. The total area is 43 km². 18.% of the area is forested, 23.8% of the area is used for agriculture. Cadastral communities are Windhaag near Freistadt, Riemetschlag and Spörbichl.

Community structure

The municipality includes the following 13 localities (population in brackets as of January 1, 2020):

• Elmberg (46)
• Freiwalddorf (48)
• Mairspindt (117)
• Obernschlag (67) including rider
• Oberpassberg (93)
• Oberwindhaag (96)
• Pieberschlag (114) including Firnsingmühle, Pieberschlag-Scattered Houses and Schlöglmühle
• Predetschlag (63) including Halthäusl and Meinberg
• Prendt (128)
• Belt Lash (121)
• Spörbichl (112) including the Pöstlhof
• Unterwald (82)
• Windhaag near Freistadt (483) including Felbermühl and Schwabenberg

The community consists of the cadastral communities Riemetschlag, Spörbichl and Windhaag near Freistadt.

Neighboring communities

Leopoldschlag	Dolní Dvořiště (CZ)	Pohorská Ves (CZ)
Grünbach		Sandl
	Grünbach

history

Originally located in the eastern part of the Duchy of Bavaria , the area has belonged to the Duchy of Austria since the 12th century. After 1120, the Freiwald north of Freistadt was slowly cleared , starting with the settlement of Windhaag. The earliest written evidence is "Winthag" (1456). The name means Hag in an exposed, windy place or Hag populated by Slavs (see Wenden ). In 1380 a wooden clearing chapel was mentioned in a document. In 1487 a late Gothic church was built by the Starhemberg landlord, which was still incorporated into the mother parish in Grünbach, and was consecrated in 1507 by the Passau bishop. From 1490 the place was assigned to the principality 'Austria ob der Enns'.

As early as 1614 there were reports of a school and a water pipe. Due to the upswing of the village was on May 12, 1641 by Emperor Ferdinand III. the market right conferred and wind Hague got a pillory. At this time Heinrich Wilhelm von Starhemberg (Reichenau rule) is recorded in the chronicle as the landlord. The economic development took place in the brewery industry and in the yarn and thread trade. In 1680 a large fire in the parish church was reported.

In 1704 the restored church became the center of the now independent parish of Windhaag. From the Middle Ages to the 19th century there was a flood on the Maltsch , with it lumber was transported north towards Budweis and Prague . Due to its location away from the major trade routes, the market was spared the chaos of war.

In the 18th century the school was housed in house number 7. Fires were reported in 1841 and 1872, the latter giving the church its current appearance. In 1848 Leopold Safe became the first mayor of the new municipality and took the place of market judge. The school, built in 1873 after the fire, was used until 1967.

Anton Bruckner was a substitute teacher in Windhaag from 1841 to 1843. In the old school house ⊙ you can find memorabilia like old school desks and inkwells. In the church he was responsible for the music. He composed the Windhaag Mass for the solo singer of the church choir.

From 1918 the place belonged to the federal state of Upper Austria . After Austria was annexed to the German Reich on March 13, 1938, the place belonged to the Gau Oberdonau , and since 1945 back to Upper Austria.

1993 honored as "most beautiful village" of Upper Austria, took place in 1997, the awards ceremony as an energy-saving community through the O.Ö. Energy saving association . On September 20, 2002 the community received the Austrian Solar Prize, on December 4, 2002 the Eurosolar European Solar Prize was awarded in Berlin.

population

Population development
year	Residents		year	Residents
1869	1,685		1961	1,898
1880	1,735		1971	1,886
1890	1,738		1981	1,873
1900	1,749		1991	1,848
1910	1,841		2001	1,737
1923	1,809		2008	1,657
1934	1,855		2012	1,641
1939	1,823		2018	1,579
1951	1,829

Development and structure

In 1869 there were 1685 people living in the municipality. By 1961, the population had grown to 1,898, the highest in history. The population has been shrinking noticeably since 1961, which is probably due to the decentralized location. In 1991 the community had 1,848 inhabitants, at the 2001 census  only 1,734, which corresponds to a decrease of 6.6%. On January 1, 2018, the community had 1,579 inhabitants, 799 men and 780 women (50.6% to 49.4%).

age structure

Age	number	percent
up to 20 years	343	22%
20 - 64 years	976	62%
65 and older	260	16%

Highest completed education

	number	percent
mandatory school	425	32%
Teaching	737	56%
Matura	107	8th %
University	54	4%

Origin and language

The German dialect, which is generally spoken in the Windhaag area and in Upper Austria, is Middle Bavarian . In 2001, 96.2% of the Windhaagers stated that German was their everyday language. Another 2.9% spoke mainly Turkish , 0.6% Czech , the rest spoke other languages.

The proportion of Windhaag residents with foreign citizenship was 3.5% in 2001, below the average in Upper Austria. 2.4% of the Windhaag population had a citizenship of Turkey , 0.2% one from Germany and 0.9% other citizens. In 2001, around 3.5% of Windhaagers were born in a country other than Austria.

politics

The municipal council and mayoral elections take place every six years, at the same time as the state elections. From 1945 the ÖVP always achieved an absolute majority. The second strongest party was the SPÖ . The FPÖ has only been participating in the elections since 1997, otherwise no other parties participate in the municipal council elections. In 2003 the ÖVP was the party with the strongest vote with 59.2%, in 2009 with 61.2% and in 2015 with 59.0%, which corresponds to an absolute majority.

The 2015 municipal council election with a turnout of 87.3% gave the following result:

Party / political grouping	voting share	Verän- alteration	Seats on the local council	Verän- alteration
ÖVP	59.0%	-2.2%	11	-1
SPÖ	20.1%	-3.4%	4th	0
FPÖ	21.0%	+ 5.7%	4th	+1
Others	0%	0%	0	0

Martin Kapeller of the ÖVP has been the mayor of the community since October 31, 2019. His predecessor was Erich Traxler (ÖVP). The municipal council consists of 15 members.

The FPÖ parliamentary group dissolved on January 31, 2019 and is currently no longer represented on the local council.

The next municipal council election will be held regularly in 2021.

coat of arms

Windhaag coat of arms

The coat of arms is held in silver and shows a red three mountain rock. A fire-breathing, golden crowned and red-armed panther grows out of the central dome, flanked on the right and left by a green conifer. The red panther is the heraldic animal of the Starhemberger , who acquired Windhaag am Waldt in the second half of the 14th century . The Starhemberger also enforced the market survey.

The awarding of the municipal coat of arms and the approval of the municipal colors took place on May 12, 1641, at the same time as the market survey.

Culture and sights

See also:  List of listed objects in Windhaag near Freistadt

Weather shuttle on the continental watershed , 1999 by Gerhard Eilmsteiner

Buildings

• Parish church hl. Stephan (1507): The church's two-bay choir is spanned by a ribbed vault. The church has a neo-Gothic interior and was built between 1487 and 1507.
• Spörbichl wind farm: wind power plant
• The weather shuttle: a machine that stands on the continental divide and is powered by water.
• The clock: The largest mechanical clock in the Mühlviertel made of granite, bronze and steel with a mass of 10 tons, 5.5 of which moved.
• Stone Bridge: border crossing to the Czech Republic for pedestrians, cyclists, skiers and riders with horses.

Museums

Windhaag near Freistadt is located on the Mühlviertel Museum Street . There are 5 museums in the municipality:

• Open-air museum Venetianersäge Felbermühle : A display saw assembled from old components. It is fully functional and illustrates the mechanism of a single blade saw.
• Hofwieshammer: The last saw hammer in Austria, dates from the 16th century and was in operation until 1938.
• Green Belt Center : The Austrian-Czech visitor information center presents the subjects of man and nature, the European Green Belt and the Iron Curtain in three permanent exhibitions.

Natural monuments

• Rushing rocks : near the village of Hammern there is a granite formation around 6 meters high. The rustling of the Maltsch can only be heard in the vicinity of the stone.
• Edelbauer Steinfelsen : rock formation with climbing aids
• Sacristy at the Jankus Church : stone cliffs with climbing protection and a lookout point with information board

music

• Windhaag Music Association
• Fire Brigade Music Windhaag
• Church choir Windhaag
• Choir "The Voices"

Sports

• Sportunion Windhaag: The football club plays in the 2nd class North Central, in the eighth division in Austria.

Economy and Infrastructure

A kindergarten , a primary school , a secondary school and a branch of the regional music school are available in the village . There is also a general practitioner in the community.

There are five volunteer fire brigades (FF) in the municipality . FF Windhaag, FF Paßberg, FF Prendt - Elmberg, FF Spörbichl and FF Unterwald provide fire protection and general assistance.

Personalities

• Maria Christine Jachs (* 1956), politician, member of the Upper Austrian state parliament
• Franz Traxler (1876–1950), member of the Constituent National Assembly and member of the National Council, CSP

literature

• Historical bibliography in the forum OoeGeschichte.at

Web links

Commons : Windhaag bei Freistadt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official community website
• Further information about the municipality of Windhaag near Freistadt can be found on the geographic information system of the federal state of Upper Austria .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistics Austria: Population on January 1st, 2020 by locality (area status on January 1st, 2020) , ( CSV )
2. ↑ Place names with -wend- or -wint / d- can go back to mhd. Wint or to the Slavs (Old High German winida ). Because the settlement is close to the Slavic area, the latter is perhaps even more likely.
3. ^ Karl Hohensinner: The place names of the political districts Perg and Freistadt . Ed .: Peter Wiesinger. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-7001-3103-8 , p. 78 .
4. ↑ ^{a b} Statistics Austria: Population and components of population development (download as pdf; 35 kB)
5. ↑ ^{a b} Life in Upper Austria - Key statistical data. State of Upper Austria, January 1, 2018, accessed on January 28, 2019 . 
6. ↑ 2001 census: demographic data (download as pdf; 10 kB)
7. ↑ Official election results of Upper Austria: Elections - municipal council election (accessed on November 6, 2017)
8. ↑ FPÖ Windhaag dissolves on January 31st on mein district.at from January 24th 2019, accessed on January 25th 2019
9. ^ Province of Upper Austria, regional history: coat of arms of the municipality of Windhaag (accessed on October 28, 2008)
10. ↑ Mühlviertel Museum Street
11. ^ Upper Austrian regional archive, biographies