Wolfern

Wolfern is a market town with 3178 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) in Upper Austria in the Steyr-Land district in the Traunviertel . The responsible judicial district is Steyr .

geography

The extension of the municipality is from north to south 6.4 km, from west to east 8.5 km. 13.9% of the area is forested, 76.9% is used for agriculture.

Neighboring communities

The market community is bordered in the north by the communities of St. Marien (district Weichstetten ), Hofkirchen im Traunkreis and Hargelsberg . These three communities already belong to the political district of Linz-Land , and thus Wolfern also forms a border between the districts of Steyr-Land and Linz-Land. The neighboring municipality in the east is Dietach , in the south the municipality of Steyr already borders Wolfern. The western neighbors are the communities of Sierning and Schiedlberg .

St. Mary	Hofkirchen	Hargelsberg
Schiedlberg		Dietach
Sierning		Steyr

Community structure

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

Losensteinleiten (569)
Maria Laah (239)
Wolfern (2370)

The community consists of the cadastral communities Judendorf, Kroisbach, Losensteinleithen, Maria Laah, Schwarzenthal and Unterwolfern.

history

Settlement of this area goes back far into the dark prehistoric times, as reported by finds of stone axes and flat axes from the Stone Age. But only in 777 is this area mentioned for the first time, when the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III. Donated the forest between Dietach and Sierning to the Kremsmünster Abbey, which he founded . In 871, Emperor Charlemagne confirmed this donation. The name Wolfern, derived from the Slavic word "woularin", also came into being during this period. From this the meaning "forest between Dietach and Sierning" can be derived. Wolfern first appears in documents in 1111. In the course of cultivation from Bavaria, the noble seats of the "Lords of Wolfern" were created, to which the building of the church in its original form can be ascribed. Unfortunately, details about the construction of the church are no longer available, because all parishes were destroyed in the Passau city fires. Originally located in the eastern part of the Duchy of Bavaria, the place belonged to the Duchy of Austria since the 12th century. Over the centuries the community's settlements were not spared from unrest: in 1396 and 1397 fanatical supporters of the Waldensians set fire to the Wolfern rectory three times during their persecution by the Inquisition under Petrus Zwicker . Since 1490 the place has been assigned to the Principality of Austria ob der Enns. In 1532 Turkish hordes penetrated as far as Losensteinleiten Castle. Religious turmoil came into the country during the peasant wars. At the beginning of the 19th century the passing Napoleonic troops oppressed the population. For several centuries, the political center of the area was the town around Losensteinleiten Castle. It was only after the First World War that the new municipal office in the village of Unterwolfern was built that the municipality was renamed Wolfern. Since 1918 the place belongs to the federal state of Upper Austria.

After the annexation of Austria to the German Reich on March 13, 1938, the place belonged to the Gau Oberdonau . After 1945 the restoration of Upper Austria took place. In 1994 Wolfern was raised to a market town.

Legends

The vernacular tells a story of how the place got its name Wolfern: When a church was to be built in this area, there was heated discussion about the building site. After this was finally established, the material was driven there and unloaded. During the night, however, the devil came with his wagon, loaded up all the building material and brought it to a hill outside the village. In the opinion of the devil the church should be built here. However, the residents of the area were not afraid and returned the material to its original location. But even the devil didn't give up his plan so quickly and came back with his wagon the following night. So it is said to have gone back and forth for a few days and nights until the residents made a pact with the devil: The church was allowed to be built on the designated place - the current local square - but the first living being to enter the church should be the Devil belong. When the building was finished, the clever residents drove a wolf into the structure. The devil is said to have driven away in his wagon in anger. The hill on which the devil wanted to build the church is still called the “White Cross” today. It is the highest point in the municipality and a stone marter is intended to remind of this story. The topographically highest point of the municipality known today is in the area of the Wolferne Wald ("Steyrer Holz") on the municipal boundary to Steyr, in the area of the water basin of the local water supply with a height of slightly over 400 m (ÜNN).

There is even a historically verifiable heroic deed to report about Sebastian von Losensteinleiten: When the future Emperor Ferdinand I married his bride Anna of Bohemia and Hungary in Linz in 1521 , a tournament was held on the main square of Linz , along with other festivities . A distinguished Spaniard indulged in diatribes about the locals and posted on the town hall that he would take on everyone for life and death. But care was not taken so as not to disturb the joy of the wedding. But when the Spaniard reviled all the more violently, Sebastian von Losenstein took up the fight with him. At the appointed hour both rode into the barriers, and everyone wondered what the Losensteinleitner would do with his bi-handler on horseback. At first they ran against each other with skewers, but did not meet. Then both took up their swords. The Spaniard was hard on Sebastian, but he defended himself excellently. Suddenly Sebastian smashed his opponent's helmet with the bihandler and seriously wounded him. For the Spaniard, this situation would have meant death if the emperor had not personally put an end to the fight. The memorable tournament in Linz went down in history under the name Losensteiner Tournament , and Sebastian von Losenstein is pictured in the so-called Linz Window in Linz Cathedral because of his services .

The story of the courageous hunter von Losensteinleiten is more likely to refer to the realm of legends: When Sultan Soliman II invaded Austria with his hordes of warriors in 1532, the notorious renegade Michael Oglon, known under the name of Kasim Pascha, came with 15,000 Janissaries to the Enns. On a Sunday they crossed the Enns river on their horses in the thick fog near Ernsthofen and rushed up to Steyr, robbing and looting, setting fire to houses and slaughtering people. All the residents of the castle had fled with other people in the area. Even the owner of the castle, the knight Christoph III. von Losensteinleiten, had left the castle with his family. Only an old hunter who set his ambition in staying and defending the castle remained. For days he had heard the storm bells ringing from the surrounding church villages and had seen the warning fires burning on the castles at night. It was not long before a handsome Turkish army advanced. He camped with a lot of shouting on the Leimannsdorfer Feld, not far from the then six-towered, walled Wasserburg Losensteinleiten. The clever and cunning hunter, however, had already been diligent and had prepared everything necessary to receive the arson horde. He had locked gates and doors tightly before, and opened the drawbridge. He had taken tanks and helmets from the armory and placed them as hollow, iron men with closed visors at the windows, with loaded rifles, hackle rifles, powder and lead. The old hunter stood quietly at his post, rifle in hand, waiting for what was to come. In the hope of being able to steal plenty of booty, the Turks went to storm the castle with wild cries. But even the sole defense attorney was not scoffed at. He hurried from window to window, firing one rifle after the other at the oncoming enemies. And since every bullet hit from a well-aimed rifle, every victim rolled over in his blood on strange earth and did not get up again. Many a person who had climbed the wall fell deep into the moat, fatally hit by the hunter's lead. The main leader of the Turks, who rode around on his white horse, paused for a moment and looked at the castle, which seemed somewhat mysterious to him, with a doubtful expression. At that moment a shot rang out from one of the windows and the leader sank backwards from the horse, hit in the chest by the hunter's bullet. When the Turks saw their main leader fall from his horse, there was wild confusion. They believed the castle was full of trained, accurate marksmen. They left the battlefield quickly. The hunter shot them a few more bullets. When there was no longer a Turk to be seen far and wide, the hunter opened the gate and walked out of the castle on the lowered drawbridge. He caught the splendid, ownerless white horse, swung himself into the saddle and rode joyfully into the castle.

politics

In the municipal council election on September 27, 2015, 2066 votes were cast, which corresponds to a voter turnout of 83.87%. The 25 mandates of the municipal council are divided between three parties: the majority with 55.61% and 14 mandates is held by the ÖVP. Other parties represented in the municipal council are the SPÖ with 25.36% and 6 seats and the FPÖ with 19.02% and 5 seats. Mayor Karl Mayr is the chairman of the municipal council. The community board consists of seven people, four of whom belong to the ÖVP, two to the SPÖ and one to the FPÖ.

mayor

1997–2014 Franz Schillhuber (ÖVP)
since 2014 Karl Mayr (ÖVP)

coat of arms

Blazon : "Split, on the right in silver a turned away, soaring, red wolf , on the left in blue a soaring, red, fire-breathing, red-horned, golden panther ."

The municipality's coat of arms reflects the historical past of the market town: The split coat of arms shows on the right side a red, upright, left-facing wolf on a silver background. The Passau Wolf (after Prince-Bishop Wolfger von Erla , 1191–1204) reports on the influence of the Passau bishops on the parishes of Maria Laah and Wolfern. On the left is a golden, erect, fire-breathing, red-horned panther on a blue background. The Losensteiner panther heralds the former rule of this sex. The municipality colors are - derived from the colors of the two heraldic animals - yellow and red.

Partnerships

On May 29, 2004, the market town of Wolfern established a parish partnership with Taszár in Hungary. In the municipality of Taszár, the partnership certificate was signed by Mayor Sándor Pataki and Mayor Franz Schillhuber as part of a great festival. The partner municipality Taszár is located 8 km east of Kaposvár . The word "taszar" is of Slavic origin and means woodwork or carpentry. The first written mentions come from the time of St. Stefan. At that time, villages were only allowed to be built around churches. The military airfield built after the nationalization and a new housing estate have changed the village significantly. In 1995 Taszár became the logistic center of the IFOR and later the SFOR troops. In the past few years, several mutual visits have taken place, with the focus on cultural exchange.

population

According to Statistics Austria, the market town of Wolfern had a population of 2,897 on January 1, 2006. Compared to the results of the census in 2001, this means an increase of 53 people, which, however, is largely due to immigration rather than births. 98% of the Wolferner community citizens are Austrians and give German as a colloquial language. 90% of the population profess the Roman Catholic faith, followed by 6% without religious belief and 2% who feel they belong to the Protestant church.

From 2001 to 2011, the population rose to 3,005 due to strong immigration, although the birth balance was negative.

Economy and Infrastructure

A few decades ago, the majority of farms were located in Wolfern. But the changing times did not stop here either and so many farmers were no longer able to run their business as a full-time business. Around 71% of the workforce commute to the surrounding areas. Half of the commuters find employment in the city of Steyr, where BMW Motoren GmbH, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG and SKF AG are also the largest employers for Wolferner citizens. Little by little, smaller businesses also developed in the municipality, but they only offered a small number of jobs. Only in the last decade has the number of jobs increased significantly. There are currently 106 businesses with a total of 736 employees located in the Wolfern municipality.

The largest - and at the same time one of the oldest - company, Elektrotechnik Mehler GesmbH, employs around 200 people. The company is known for switching systems that are now sold all over the world. Weinbergmaier Tiefkühlkost was established in Wolfern a few years ago and already has 75 employees. The Maderböck joinery was founded in 1955. The company has specialized in the production of windows and doors over the last few decades and has 25 employees. Other larger employers in the market town include ESA GesmbH (control systems), Johann Glück GmbH Co KG (mechanical engineering), Peter Hahn GmbH (mechanical engineering) and Mitter GmbH (dredging, transport, crane work).

In addition, Wolfern is still shaped by agriculture. Of the current 115 farms, 78 are full-time and intensive farms. In the past, dairy and livestock farming were the main branches of agriculture, but in recent years the main focus has been on agriculture. Full-time farmers in particular also specialize in livestock farming.

education

Around 200 children are currently attending the educational institutions of the market town of Wolfern. The newly developed kindergarten with 4 group rooms, 2 exercise rooms and two playgrounds, as well as the renovated 4-class elementary school in Wolfern offer a very solid foundation for the education of the "little" Wolferner. The day care center in the kindergarten is also available to primary school students. To end compulsory schooling, the children have to commute to Steyr, where there are several secondary schools and grammar schools. Attending a higher vocational school is also possible in Steyr or in the state capital Linz.

Another educational opportunity is the music school of the Upper Austrian Regional Music School Association. Here, children and adults alike can learn musical instruments or live out their enthusiasm in various rhythm courses.

Culture and sights

Parish Church of St. Martin

Parish Church of Maria Laah

Losensteinleithen Castle after an engraving by Georg Matthäus Vischer from 1674

The Wolfern parish church is dedicated to St. Martin and was built in the center of the village before 1318.
The parish church of Maria Laah was mentioned in a document as early as 1212.
The Castle Losensteinleithen is the largest historical building in the market town.
The mausoleum was built around 1880 as a burial place for the Auersperg family.
The two music bands Wolfern and Losensteinleiten are part of the market town's musical heritage. Each chapel hosts several concerts a year and also provides entertainment at many festivals and events.

There are also several singing groups and choirs, which make their musical contribution, especially in the two parish churches.

Every year in spring, the Landjugend Wolfern theater group performs a comedy in the style of the farmer's stage. In the past, performances took place in the premises of the parish hall, but now they have moved into a new ambience and perform the selected pieces in the “Theaterstadl”. In 2006, the theater group celebrated its 30th anniversary and, with over 1000 visitors, is already an integral part of the annual event calendar.

freetime and recreation

The overdone country game

A newly created circular cycle path leads through the middle of the agriculturally used area of Sierning, Wolfern, Dietach, St. Marien and Schiedlberg. Embedded in the river valleys of the Danube, Krems, Steyr and Enns, the wide plain gives a clear view of the panorama of the Dead Mountains. Country inns, cider taverns and farms along the route offer regional food and farm products. The circular cycle route consists of two circuits that share the route for a few kilometers in the municipality of Wolfern. The west lap covers 50 km, the east lap 32 km.

International long-distance hiking trails

Wolfern is located directly on the two long-distance hiking trails Salzsteigweg and Mariazellerweg, which are also integrated into the European long-distance hiking trail network.

Mariazellerweg (No. 406) was opened in 1981 and leads through the federal states of Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Upper Austria, Styria and Carinthia. The destination of most hikers is the pilgrimage church in Maria Zell in Lower Austria. From Wolfern you can walk the distance to Maria Zell in 3 days.

The Salzsteigweg (No. 409) was opened in 1983. It leads through the federal states of Upper Austria, Styria and Carinthia and extends from the Sternstein in the Mühlviertel to the Wurzenpass in the Karawanken. It got its name from the Salzsteig, which leads from Hinterstoder over the Dead Mountains into the Styrian Ennstal. In earlier times salt was smuggled in this way.

Sports facilities

The forest pool has a beach volleyball and basketball court. There are also two riding clubs, as well as several horse sitters and finally two football fields, three tennis courts and an asphalt stick court. The gym of the Wolfern elementary school can be used regularly by all clubs and is available to all community citizens.

Regular events

The largest event in the municipality is the annual market festival. Originally planned as a one-off celebration of the elevation of the market community, the market festival was such a great success that it has become an indispensable part of the calendar of events. The special thing about the market festival is the community that is lived out here. Each club contributes its part to the success of the festival: be it with the various culinary delicacies that are served or the put together supporting program. A highlight of the market festival is the market run, in which everyone, from the smallest to the energetic seniors, can take part. The market festival takes place every year on the second Sunday in September.

On August 15th - Assumption of Mary - a Kirtag takes place at the parish church Maria Laah. In addition to the parish of Maria Laah, the main organizers are the music association and the Losensteinleiten volunteer fire brigade. Here, too, visitors are offered a morning pint with the band, a children's program and, of course, catering by the clubs.

Customs

In the midst of all the traditions that are practiced throughout Upper Austria or regionally in the Traunviertel, the customs around May 1st are particularly pronounced in Wolfern. On May 1st, the country youth set up the festively decorated maypole on the town square. As in many years before, this is still done by hand today, without technical aids. But just setting it up is not enough: As is the custom in this region, the maypole can be stolen three days before May 1st and the first three days in May. So you have to watch out for your own maypole during this time, but of course the rural youth also act as maypole thieves in the surrounding communities.

The May trip of the Losensteinleiten music association has a musical tradition. Every year on May 1st, the musicians and their instruments are “loaded” onto tractors and trailers. This elevator is used to drive through the villages and serenade all members of the association.

societies

With around 70 clubs in Wolfern, club life is very active. Starting with the beekeeping association, through youth groups, senior and pensioner associations, music bands or sports clubs, to the photo club and the cultural association, there are almost no hobbies or interests that cannot be lived out in a club. The highlights are the annual market festival and church festivals, in which the clubs always take part and help shape.

literature

Chronicle of the community of Wolfern. Pp. 138-148.
Wolfern. Schubert and Franzke, St. Pölten 2002, ISBN 3-7056-1031-7 .

Web links

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

Map in the Digital Upper Austrian Room Information System ( DORIS )
Further information about the municipality of Wolfern can be found on the geographic information system of the federal state of Upper Austria .
Homepage of the market town of Wolfern
Wolfern market town on wolfern.riskommunal.net
Website for the Auersperg mausoleum Wolfern-Losensteinleithen

Individual evidence

↑ Statistics Austria: Population on January 1st, 2020 by locality (area status on January 1st, 2020) , ( CSV )
^ Province of Upper Austria, coat of arms of the municipality of Wolfern. Retrieved March 23, 2019 .
^ Statistics Austria, A look at the community of Wolfern, population development. (PDF) Retrieved March 23, 2019 .

[Metadaten_Einwohnerzahl_AT_Ortschaft_QUELLE-1] Statistics Austria: Population on January 1st, 2020 by locality (area status on January 1st, 2020) , ( CSV )

[2] Province of Upper Austria, coat of arms of the municipality of Wolfern. Retrieved March 23, 2019 .

[3] Statistics Austria, A look at the community of Wolfern, population development. (PDF) Retrieved March 23, 2019 .