Serfaus
Encyclopedia
Serfaus is a municipality in the district of Landeck
in Tyrol
, Austria
. It is located at 47°1′N 10°35′E, with a population of 1,091 (2001).
, Austria
. It is well known for its connection to the Ski-Area "Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis" and its tiny subway
system, the Dorfbahn Serfaus
. With four stations and a length of 1280 m it allows for a complete ban of cars within the town, while at the same time maintaining the village's attractiveness to tourists
, particularly skiers
. The municipality teamed up with the two nearby municipalities of Fiss
and Ladis
to form the ski resort of Serfaus-Fiss
-Ladis
.
. The remaints of a 3200 Year old fireplace on the Komperdell, a nearby high alpine medow, indicates that the area was used as a pasture or hunting ground. More areological research was undertaken at the "Zienerbichl", discovering remnants of the Late Antiquity
and Middle Ages
.
Pre-Roman field names and some Celtic traces still hint at the early settlers in this region. Ancient historians described the area as Raetia
and its inhabitants as Raeti
. However, with the conquest of the area by the Romans
about 15 BC
the Roman and Raetic cultures began to mix, ceating the Romansh people
. The Romansh language, which is still spocken in some parts of the Swiss Canton
Graubünden
, has survived in many of the regional field names. In the 6th century the German speaking Bavarii
started to inhabit the plateau, gradually extruding the Romansh from day to day language.
The village itself was first officially mentioned in the 11th century. The towns of See
and Kappl
in the Paznaun valley
were partly settled through Serfaus. Till 1891 See was also part of the rectory of Serfaus, which led to the fact that there is still a graveyard for citicans of See in the village of Serfaus. Other important cultural landmarks include the pilgimage church of St. Georgen. Built in the Middle Ages
it is one of the oldest churches in the region.
During the 19th century tourism started to flourish in Tyrol
and after the Second World War, tourism became the main source of income for the village.
1942 fourteen houses were destroyed by a fire, which left 16 families (a total of 89 people) without home and caused a damage of about 650.000 Reichsmark. The village was rebuilt after the Second World War, also allowing the new buildings more space in contrast to the old structure of a clustered romansh village.
To cope with the increase of traffic due to a growing tourism in the region, Serfaus banned private traffic in winter in the 1970s. For the transportation of guests (and especially Skiers) a bus service was established. In order to enable an even quieter and more environmentally friendy way of transportation, the subway
system, the Dorfbahn Serfaus
went into operation in 1985. The use of the underground is free of charge and over its course of 1280 m it has 4 stopps (Parkplatz, Kirche, Raika, Seilbahn) and can transport up to 1500 people per hour.
and the Reschenpass people are thought to have traveled through the area for hundreds of years. Moreover the marian pilgimage which has been taking place since the Middle Ages
has caused some travel to and from the mountain village. The Theresian Cadasdre of 1776 lists Johannes Penz with the "right to operate a tavern". By 1812 the inhabitants of Serfaus were aked to pay an extra tax for the loging of foreigeners in their taverns of private rooms. This shows that tourism was already present at these times, even if still only in its most basic form.
Shortly after 1900 Skiers started to discover the possibilities in the region and in 1912 plans were made to build a little ski hut on one of the high alpine meadows surrounding the village, the "Kölnerhaus" up at the "Komperdell". However during the First World War and the following Twenties the tourism developed very slowly. Tourism between the two world wars reached it's peaked in 1931/32 with 30.000 registered Guests. As a result the three taverns could not provide enough accommodation anymore and farmers started to rent out private rooms to guests of the region. Thus Serfaus had 150 registered Beds in 1930. 1940 cable car for transporting goods to the "Kölnerhaus" was installed and was turned into an Aerial tramway
seating five people, in 1951. This caused a new increase of tourism in Serfaus and through the constant renewal and expansion of the infrastukture and the connection to the lifts of Fiss-Ladis the skiarea now covers 190 km of pistes through 70 lifts.Today the town is one of the most popular ski and holiday areas in Tyrol.
. The existence of such a policy was confirmed by Haus Sonnenhoff, a hotel located in the village center. By 2010, the subject gained further attention when German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung
reported that a concierge at Hotel Schalber had been dismissed for having admitted Jews, once the owner, a local real estate tycoon, had learned about the religion of recently checked-in guests. Within the inhabitance of Serfaus, there are reported causes of hostilities towards those who admit Jews. Several hotel owners have given orders to deny possible Jews any bookings, based on racial profiling
. On the other hand the town is also very popular with orthodox Jews
, due to accommodations and other businesses which are specialized on their needs (separate preparation of milk and meat dishes, kosher food in the supermarket etc.).
Landeck (district)
The Bezirk Landeck is an administrative district in Tyrol, Austria. It borders the district Reutte in the north, the district Imst in the east, South Tyrol and Graubünden in the south, and the district Bludenz in the west.The area of the district is 1,594.81 km²...
in Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
, 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...
. It is located at 47°1′N 10°35′E, with a population of 1,091 (2001).
Geography
Serfaus is a small town located on a plateau in the upper Inn valley in TyrolTyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
, 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...
. It is well known for its connection to the Ski-Area "Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis" and its tiny subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system, the Dorfbahn Serfaus
Dorfbahn Serfaus
The Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. The name literally translates as Serfaus Village Railway.-Overview:...
. With four stations and a length of 1280 m it allows for a complete ban of cars within the town, while at the same time maintaining the village's attractiveness to tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, particularly skiers
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
. The municipality teamed up with the two nearby municipalities of Fiss
Fiss
Fiss is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located 10.50 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. Main source of income is tourism. It has 1036 inhabitants....
and Ladis
Ladis
Ladis is a municipality in the district of Landeck and is located 9.5 km south of Landeck as well as 1.4 km west of Faggen. The village is known because of its sulphur and sour springs. Another important source of income is ski tourism. It has app. 550 inhabitants....
to form the ski resort of Serfaus-Fiss
Fiss
Fiss is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located 10.50 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. Main source of income is tourism. It has 1036 inhabitants....
-Ladis
Ladis
Ladis is a municipality in the district of Landeck and is located 9.5 km south of Landeck as well as 1.4 km west of Faggen. The village is known because of its sulphur and sour springs. Another important source of income is ski tourism. It has app. 550 inhabitants....
.
History
The oldest findings of civilisation in the region of Serfaus are from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. The remaints of a 3200 Year old fireplace on the Komperdell, a nearby high alpine medow, indicates that the area was used as a pasture or hunting ground. More areological research was undertaken at the "Zienerbichl", discovering remnants of the Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
and Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Pre-Roman field names and some Celtic traces still hint at the early settlers in this region. Ancient historians described the area as Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
and its inhabitants as Raeti
Raeti
The Raeti was the collective "ethnic" name used by the ancient Romans to denote a number of Alpine tribes, whose language and culture may have derived, at least in part, from the Etruscans. From not later than ca...
. However, with the conquest of the area by the Romans
Roman 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....
about 15 BC
15 BC
Year 15 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Monday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
the Roman and Raetic cultures began to mix, ceating the Romansh people
Romansh people
The Romansh people are a people and ethnic group of Switzerland, native speakers of the Romansh language. However, nowadays they almost always are multilingual, speaking also German and sometimes Italian, which are the other official language of Graubünden, the canton where they are...
. The Romansh language, which is still spocken in some parts of the Swiss Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
, has survived in many of the regional field names. In the 6th century the German speaking Bavarii
Bavarii
The Bavarii were a Germanic tribe whose name emerged late in Teutonic tribal times. The full name originally was the Germanic *baio-warioz. This name has been handed down as Baiwaren, Baioaren, Bioras, latinised Bavarii, Baioarii. or Bavarii, Bavarians, Bajuwaren, Bajuvarii, Bajuwaren and Baiern....
started to inhabit the plateau, gradually extruding the Romansh from day to day language.
The village itself was first officially mentioned in the 11th century. The towns of See
See, Austria
See is a municipality in the district of Landeck in Tyrol, Austria and is located 8 km southwest of the city of Landeck. The village was founded in 1400 by farmers. Nowadays, tourism is the main source of income.-External links:...
and Kappl
Kappl
Kappl is a municipality in the district of Landeck and is located app. 17 km southwest of Landeck in the Paznaun Valley. With an area size of 97 km² it is a larger village in the valley. Kappl was mentioned for the first time in 1370. Main source of income is tourism . It has 2641...
in the Paznaun valley
Paznaun
The Paznaun is a valley in Tyrol, Austria leading south-west from Pians to the Bielerhöhe , a mountain pass at the border of Vorarlberg and Tyrol....
were partly settled through Serfaus. Till 1891 See was also part of the rectory of Serfaus, which led to the fact that there is still a graveyard for citicans of See in the village of Serfaus. Other important cultural landmarks include the pilgimage church of St. Georgen. Built in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it is one of the oldest churches in the region.
During the 19th century tourism started to flourish in Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
and after the Second World War, tourism became the main source of income for the village.
1942 fourteen houses were destroyed by a fire, which left 16 families (a total of 89 people) without home and caused a damage of about 650.000 Reichsmark. The village was rebuilt after the Second World War, also allowing the new buildings more space in contrast to the old structure of a clustered romansh village.
To cope with the increase of traffic due to a growing tourism in the region, Serfaus banned private traffic in winter in the 1970s. For the transportation of guests (and especially Skiers) a bus service was established. In order to enable an even quieter and more environmentally friendy way of transportation, the subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system, the Dorfbahn Serfaus
Dorfbahn Serfaus
The Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. The name literally translates as Serfaus Village Railway.-Overview:...
went into operation in 1985. The use of the underground is free of charge and over its course of 1280 m it has 4 stopps (Parkplatz, Kirche, Raika, Seilbahn) and can transport up to 1500 people per hour.
Tourism
As Serfaus is close to the Via Claudia AugustaVia Claudia Augusta
The Via Claudia Augusta is an ancient Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia across the Alps. Since 2007, the Giontech Archeological Site, in Mezzocorona/Kronmetz serves as the Via Claudia Augusta International Research Center, directed by Prof...
and the Reschenpass people are thought to have traveled through the area for hundreds of years. Moreover the marian pilgimage which has been taking place since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
has caused some travel to and from the mountain village. The Theresian Cadasdre of 1776 lists Johannes Penz with the "right to operate a tavern". By 1812 the inhabitants of Serfaus were aked to pay an extra tax for the loging of foreigeners in their taverns of private rooms. This shows that tourism was already present at these times, even if still only in its most basic form.
Shortly after 1900 Skiers started to discover the possibilities in the region and in 1912 plans were made to build a little ski hut on one of the high alpine meadows surrounding the village, the "Kölnerhaus" up at the "Komperdell". However during the First World War and the following Twenties the tourism developed very slowly. Tourism between the two world wars reached it's peaked in 1931/32 with 30.000 registered Guests. As a result the three taverns could not provide enough accommodation anymore and farmers started to rent out private rooms to guests of the region. Thus Serfaus had 150 registered Beds in 1930. 1940 cable car for transporting goods to the "Kölnerhaus" was installed and was turned into an Aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
seating five people, in 1951. This caused a new increase of tourism in Serfaus and through the constant renewal and expansion of the infrastukture and the connection to the lifts of Fiss-Ladis the skiarea now covers 190 km of pistes through 70 lifts.Today the town is one of the most popular ski and holiday areas in Tyrol.
Alleged occurrences of antisemitism
In 2009, first reports emerged claiming that several hotels and apartments in Serfaus were rejecting bookings from orthodox JewsOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
. The existence of such a policy was confirmed by Haus Sonnenhoff, a hotel located in the village center. By 2010, the subject gained further attention when German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung
Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
reported that a concierge at Hotel Schalber had been dismissed for having admitted Jews, once the owner, a local real estate tycoon, had learned about the religion of recently checked-in guests. Within the inhabitance of Serfaus, there are reported causes of hostilities towards those who admit Jews. Several hotel owners have given orders to deny possible Jews any bookings, based on racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
. On the other hand the town is also very popular with orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
, due to accommodations and other businesses which are specialized on their needs (separate preparation of milk and meat dishes, kosher food in the supermarket etc.).