Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße
Encyclopedia
Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße is a municipality, at the foot of Grossglockner mountain, in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau
region), in the state of Salzburg
in Austria
. The Fusch valley lies north of the main chain of the Alps
. The population (as of December 2008) is 697. Fusch has an elevation of 813 metres (2,667.3 ft), but the maximum elevation within the municipality is 3564 metres (11,692.9 ft), rising up Grossglockner mountain (Austria's highest mountain).
and Kaprun valley
and flows into the Salzach Valley
.
Through the Fusch valley and situated in the valley, at Ferleiten (also belongs to Fusch), the Grossglockner High Alpine Road
leads as a well-known scenic road and popular destination.
From the main Alpine ridge, the Fuscher Ache
river winds, starting from the upper section of the Fusch valley - the Kafertal - by Ferleiten across the Fusch district until it flows into the Salzach
at Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße
.
In a section of the Fusch valley is found at 1188 metres (3,897.6 ft) Bad Fusch, a high-altitude resort, known during the 18th and 19th century under the name of St. Wolfgang, which is in ruins today, used only as a leisure destination. Here there are numerous sources, which are said to give partial healing. The Prince Bishop Cardinal Schwarzenberg, who was here in 1829 for the first time, sponsored a resort in the 19th Century, of the most famous mountain resorts in Austria and could measure up to Bad Gastein
. However, the place, in consequence of the bankruptcy of the only remaining large hotels, fell into disrepair after 1945 and today consists of nothing but ruins and a restored church in the nineties again.
Large sections of the valley are part of the Hohe Tauern National Park and are subject to particularly strict conservation conditions.
ic times as a mule trail. Near the Hochtor, Celtic and Roman coins have been found, and the highest European sanctuary with a small statue of Hercules
. Whether, during this time, it was already a town in the valley is not documented, but it had at least accommodation for traders, who crossed the Hochtor at the Central Alps, probably. In Fusch itself are vaulted remains from the Middle Ages. With the medieval mining, a greater number of miners would have arrived in the valley. The main settlement in the valley, however, was the latest since the early modern period, St. Wolfgang, named "Bad Fusch" later, before the start of health tourism or of silver mining on Kühkarkopf mountain. The current village was inhabited at that time and still likely to have been partially uninhabitable marshland. The town itself was divided by the river for a long time between Taxenbach and Zell administrative areas, which is reflected today in building up numbers with the letter "Z" (for Fusch Zeller) and "T" (for Taxenbacher Fusch). As an independent community, the town was ruled almost continuously (with the exception of the Nazi period) by Christian and conservative mayors. The town, formerly isolated, greatly benefited economically by the construction of the Grossglockner High Alpine road, but outside the summer months, is still off the main tourist routes.
In the long peasant society - as in other rural regions of Austria - during the 2nd World War II, forced laborers from Eastern Europe were used by farmers. At the end of the war, several Nazi war criminals sought refuge in the village as part of the Alpine Redoubt. From 1945 to 1955, the city belonged to the U.S. occupation zone. The growth of tourism, since the 1960s, brought the city a certain prosperity, but which cannot compete with the big tourist centers in the region and thus saved the city defense works well with big ski areas. As in many rural regions of Austria since the 1990s, the Schließlung of shops, the post office or the police station, have experienced a certain deterioration of rural infrastructure. At the same time, the Hohe Tauern National Park and a small associated exhibition or the conversion of Mühlauersäge in a show sawmill have provided the first impulses for an ecologically and culturally interested tourism.
The directly elected mayor is Leonhard Madreiter (OVP).
Pinzgau
The Bezirk Zell am See is an administrative district in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pinzgau region....
region), in the state of Salzburg
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The Fusch valley lies north of the main chain of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. The population (as of December 2008) is 697. Fusch has an elevation of 813 metres (2,667.3 ft), but the maximum elevation within the municipality is 3564 metres (11,692.9 ft), rising up Grossglockner mountain (Austria's highest mountain).
Geography
The Fusch valley lies north of the Alps between Rauris valleyRauris
Rauris is a municipality in Salzburg in the area of Pinzgau in Austria. There are about 3,150 inhabitants living in Rauris.- Geography :...
and Kaprun valley
Kaprun
Kaprun is a small alpine village in the district of Zell am See in the state of Salzburg, Austria. At the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, it is a year round sports centre, with a population of 2,903 ....
and flows into the Salzach Valley
Salzach
The Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Inn and is 225 kilometres in length.The river's name is derived from the German word Salz, meaning "salt". Until the 19th century shipping of salt down the river was an important part of the local economy...
.
Through the Fusch valley and situated in the valley, at Ferleiten (also belongs to Fusch), the Grossglockner High Alpine Road
Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a panoramic road in Austria, in the state of Salzburg. It connects the state of Salzburg with the state of Carinthia...
leads as a well-known scenic road and popular destination.
From the main Alpine ridge, the Fuscher Ache
Fuscher Ache
The Fuscher Ache is a right tributary of the River Salzach and rises near the Fuscher Törl at a height of about 2,500 metres above sea level in the Lower Pinzgau. It flows from south to north through the valley of the same name, passing the small village of Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße. It...
river winds, starting from the upper section of the Fusch valley - the Kafertal - by Ferleiten across the Fusch district until it flows into the Salzach
Salzach
The Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Inn and is 225 kilometres in length.The river's name is derived from the German word Salz, meaning "salt". Until the 19th century shipping of salt down the river was an important part of the local economy...
at Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße
Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße
Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße is a municipality in the district of Zell am See , in the state of Salzburg in Austria. The population is 4438....
.
In a section of the Fusch valley is found at 1188 metres (3,897.6 ft) Bad Fusch, a high-altitude resort, known during the 18th and 19th century under the name of St. Wolfgang, which is in ruins today, used only as a leisure destination. Here there are numerous sources, which are said to give partial healing. The Prince Bishop Cardinal Schwarzenberg, who was here in 1829 for the first time, sponsored a resort in the 19th Century, of the most famous mountain resorts in Austria and could measure up to Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein is a spa town in the Austrian state of Salzburg, situated at the northern rim of the Hohe Tauern national park. It has 5,838 inhabitants. The name "Bad" means "spa", reflecting the town's history as a health resort. It is located at the head of the Gastein valley, about 1,000 metres ...
. However, the place, in consequence of the bankruptcy of the only remaining large hotels, fell into disrepair after 1945 and today consists of nothing but ruins and a restored church in the nineties again.
Large sections of the valley are part of the Hohe Tauern National Park and are subject to particularly strict conservation conditions.
History
The Fusch valley forms the northern end of the old mountain pass over the Alps, which was already used in CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic times as a mule trail. Near the Hochtor, Celtic and Roman coins have been found, and the highest European sanctuary with a small statue of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
. Whether, during this time, it was already a town in the valley is not documented, but it had at least accommodation for traders, who crossed the Hochtor at the Central Alps, probably. In Fusch itself are vaulted remains from the Middle Ages. With the medieval mining, a greater number of miners would have arrived in the valley. The main settlement in the valley, however, was the latest since the early modern period, St. Wolfgang, named "Bad Fusch" later, before the start of health tourism or of silver mining on Kühkarkopf mountain. The current village was inhabited at that time and still likely to have been partially uninhabitable marshland. The town itself was divided by the river for a long time between Taxenbach and Zell administrative areas, which is reflected today in building up numbers with the letter "Z" (for Fusch Zeller) and "T" (for Taxenbacher Fusch). As an independent community, the town was ruled almost continuously (with the exception of the Nazi period) by Christian and conservative mayors. The town, formerly isolated, greatly benefited economically by the construction of the Grossglockner High Alpine road, but outside the summer months, is still off the main tourist routes.
In the long peasant society - as in other rural regions of Austria - during the 2nd World War II, forced laborers from Eastern Europe were used by farmers. At the end of the war, several Nazi war criminals sought refuge in the village as part of the Alpine Redoubt. From 1945 to 1955, the city belonged to the U.S. occupation zone. The growth of tourism, since the 1960s, brought the city a certain prosperity, but which cannot compete with the big tourist centers in the region and thus saved the city defense works well with big ski areas. As in many rural regions of Austria since the 1990s, the Schließlung of shops, the post office or the police station, have experienced a certain deterioration of rural infrastructure. At the same time, the Hohe Tauern National Park and a small associated exhibition or the conversion of Mühlauersäge in a show sawmill have provided the first impulses for an ecologically and culturally interested tourism.
Politics
The local council of Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße has 9 members and, since the Municipal Election 2009, is as follows:-
- 5 ÖVP
- 4 SPÖ
The directly elected mayor is Leonhard Madreiter (OVP).
Coat of arms
The arms of the municipality is: "In a green sign is a silvery pylon on the left, next to the red-clawed Golden Bear."Gallery
Fuscher Ache river (view to south) |
Midtown with typical houses |
Wildpark Ferleiten (of Fusch) |
External links
- Town website homepage: Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße (German)
- Town website welcome: Welcome in Fusch