Gries am Brenner
Encyclopedia
Gries am Brenner is a municipality in the Wipptal
in the southern district of Innsbruck-Land
. The village consists of several hamlets.
. Here the valley widens enough to accommodate the village, the River Sill and the B182 road; the Brenner Railway
runs along the eastern side and the motorway A13 on the western, are on a higher level.
Also the Lake Brennersee
lies on the area of the municipality.
was an important passage way station to the south, but the final settlement is in the late Middle Ages; the oldest ones, date back to
the pre-Roman age, are at Nößlach and Vinader. The road was traveled by traders, travelers and pilgrims, and along the route some hamlets were built.
Among the various personalities who, at various times, have passed through here, remember Charlemagne
, Albrecht Drauser, Goethe and Mozart. To protect the road in the territory of Gries was built a fort, but in 1241 arised a conflict between Albert III County of Tyrol
and the Diocese of Brixen, which imposed the demolition. Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
built in 1287 at Leug, just south of Gries, a fortress for the use as customs duty.
Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
built nearby a small church that had, between 1461 and 1811, a own vicarate. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
was a regular visitor of Gries since the territory was full of game, during his hunting expeditions stayed at the "Weißes Rößle” Inn.
Gries benefited, until 1560, the wealth created by the mines in the nearby Obernbergtal, having on its territory warehouses and workshops for the manufacture of silver. In 1809 during the Tyrolean Rebellion the General Lefebvre, in retaliation for the defeat suffered by the Saxons troops near Mules, destroyed the station customs at Leug which was definitively closed in 1815. After the second world war, for some years, the coal mine was exploited to the Nößlachjoch.
Following the completion of the Brenner Motorway, and the consequential diversion of the traffic, the village has turned into a pretty quiet place, with a small number of tourists. The hotels, along the way, are here since centuries because of the nature of Gries as a border place.
Wipptal
The Wipptal is a valley extending along the Sill River southward from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, where the Sill meets the larger Inn river, up to the Brenner Pass at the Austro-Italian border, one of the lowest passes across the Central Eastern Alps...
in the southern district of Innsbruck-Land
Innsbruck-Land
The Bezirk Innsbruck Land is an administrative district in Tyrol, Austria. It encloses the Statutarstadt Innsbruck, and borders Bavaria in the north, the district Schwaz in the east, South Tyrol in Italy to the south, and the district of Imst in the west.Area of the district is 1,990.09 km², with...
. The village consists of several hamlets.
Geography
Gries am Brenner is located at the entrance of the Obernbergtal on the western side of the WipptalWipptal
The Wipptal is a valley extending along the Sill River southward from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, where the Sill meets the larger Inn river, up to the Brenner Pass at the Austro-Italian border, one of the lowest passes across the Central Eastern Alps...
. Here the valley widens enough to accommodate the village, the River Sill and the B182 road; the Brenner Railway
Brenner railway
The Brenner Railway is a major line connecting the Austrian and Italian railways from Innsbruck and Verona climbing the Wipptal , passing over the Brenner Pass and descending down the Eisack Valley to Bolzano and then down the Adige Valley from Bolzano to Rovereto and from there along the...
runs along the eastern side and the motorway A13 on the western, are on a higher level.
Also the Lake Brennersee
Brennersee
The lake Brennersee lies approximately 1.15 km north of the Brenner Pass, 1310 metres above sea level. With an area of approximately 19 ha, it is the biggest lake in the Wipptal. The lake can be explored by motorway A13 or by local train from Innsbruck....
lies on the area of the municipality.
Origin
Gries during the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
was an important passage way station to the south, but the final settlement is in the late Middle Ages; the oldest ones, date back to
the pre-Roman age, are at Nößlach and Vinader. The road was traveled by traders, travelers and pilgrims, and along the route some hamlets were built.
Among the various personalities who, at various times, have passed through here, remember Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, Albrecht Drauser, Goethe and Mozart. To protect the road in the territory of Gries was built a fort, but in 1241 arised a conflict between Albert III County of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
and the Diocese of Brixen, which imposed the demolition. Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
built in 1287 at Leug, just south of Gries, a fortress for the use as customs duty.
Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
Frederick IV, Duke of Further Austria , also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, was the Habsburg duke of Further Austria from 1402, and Count of Tyrol from 1406, until his death...
built nearby a small church that had, between 1461 and 1811, a own vicarate. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
was a regular visitor of Gries since the territory was full of game, during his hunting expeditions stayed at the "Weißes Rößle” Inn.
Gries benefited, until 1560, the wealth created by the mines in the nearby Obernbergtal, having on its territory warehouses and workshops for the manufacture of silver. In 1809 during the Tyrolean Rebellion the General Lefebvre, in retaliation for the defeat suffered by the Saxons troops near Mules, destroyed the station customs at Leug which was definitively closed in 1815. After the second world war, for some years, the coal mine was exploited to the Nößlachjoch.
Following the completion of the Brenner Motorway, and the consequential diversion of the traffic, the village has turned into a pretty quiet place, with a small number of tourists. The hotels, along the way, are here since centuries because of the nature of Gries as a border place.