Bad Aussee (
Central Bavarian
Central Bavarian form a subgroup of Bavarian dialects in large parts of Austria and the German state of Bavaria along the Danube river, on the northern side of the Eastern Alps. They are spoken in the ' Old Bavarian' regions of Upper Bavaria (wi ...
: ''Bod Ossee'') is a town in the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n state of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, located at the confluence of the three sources of the Traun River in the Ausseerland region. Bad Aussee serves as the economic and cultural center of the Styrian part of the
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut (; ; bar, Soizkaumaguad, label=Central Austro-Bavarian) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mounta ...
lakes region. With a population of 4,862, the town is said to be the geographical midpoint of Austria, symbolized by a stone monument in the centre of town.
Together with other Alpine towns Bad Aussee engages in the
Alpine Town of the Year
The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...
Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Bad Aussee was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2010.
History
Prehistoric artifacts were discovered in the nearby
Salzofenhöhle cave. The town began to flourish in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, when salt works started operating in the late thirteenth century. Bad Aussee was designated a market town in 1295. The
Romanesque and late
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
Stadtpfarrkirche St. Paul (''parish church'') dates from the thirteenth century and contains a Gothic Madonna from 1420. The sacrament house dates from 1523. The Spitalkirche (''hospital church'') on Meranplatz square was erected before 1395 and contains two Gothic altarpieces with movable wings from the fifteenth century and frescoes.
Other important historical buildings include the Kammerhof, which was built before 1200. Until 1926, it housed the salt administration for the region. Charming houses that date from the fifteenth century surround the Kurpark and the harmonious center of town. Bad Aussee was the birthplace of Anna Plochl, a postman's daughter who became the wife of
Archduke Johann of Austria
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwes ...
, whose economic, cultural, and educational impact on Styria and the Salzkammergut is still remembered by the people. A statue of the beloved archduke stands in the centre of the Kurpark in Bad Aussee.
The town was built up and around the salt industry.
Tourism
Today, the town's primary focus is on culture and tourism. Bad Aussee has a fine regional museum, the ''Kammerhofmuseum'', which has exhibits regarding local traditions and customs, the salt trade and a collection of fossils found in the region. There is also a spa in the city centre, Vital Bad Aussee , that offers medicinal brine baths and the Kneipp Cure therapy, which was invented by the German priest
Sebastian Kneipp
Sebastian Kneipp (17 May 1821 – 17 June 1897) was a German Catholic priest and one of the forefathers of the naturopathic medicine movement. He is most commonly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy (often called "Kneipp ther ...
. This therapy combines cold-water treatment, diets, and outdoor exercise. The town also sponsors a music festival that runs for several weeks in the spring of each year, called the ''Ausseer Jazzfrühling''.
There are two ski regions accessible from Bad Aussee: Loser and Tauplitz. The Loser Ski Region boasts an amazing view of the Dachstein Glacier and has been recently modernized. At the Tauplitz Ski Region, you can also go cross-country skiing or sledding in the evening.
Lakes
There are five lakes nearby Bad Aussee.
![Grundlsee2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Grundlsee2.JPG)
Lake Altaussee (german: Altausseer See) is a picturesque body of water perched at the foot of the Loser mountain. There is a well-groomed footpath encircling the lake and the village of
Altaussee
Altaussee (Central Bavarian: ''Oid Aussee'') is a municipality and spa town in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria. The small village is nestled on the shores of the Lake Altaussee, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92  ...
rests on its shores.
Sommersbergersee is a smaller lake, which is not as deep as the other bodies of water in the region and is, as such, suitable for swimming at a much earlier date every year.
Lake Grundlsee
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
, sometimes called ''das Steirische Meer'' (the Styrian Sea), is the largest lake in the state of Styria. At Grundlsee, you can rent an electric boat by the hour and there are public beaches distributed around it. Grundlsee is fed by two smaller lakes,
Lake Toplitz
Lake Toplitz (German: ''Toplitzsee'') is a lake situated in a dense mountain forest high up in the Austrian Alps, from Salzburg in western Austria. It is surrounded by cliffs and forests in the Salzkammergut lake district, within the Totes Gebir ...
(German: ''Toplitzsee'') and Kammersee.
Toplitzsee, where the Nazis both tested weapons and allegedly dumped counterfeited currency, is the source of much local lore in the region. It is unique in that it has two layers of water, an upper one composed of fresh water and one beneath it made of salt water.
Kammersee is designated as the origin of the River Traun and can actually only be reached by boat from Toplitzsee. A small business offers guided tours to Kammersee in so-called ''Plätten'', a flat-bottomed boats unique to the region, that were once used in the salt trade. During the reign of Maria Theresa, convicts chiseled an opening in the stone separating Kammersee from Toplitzsee in order to aid in the transportation of lumber.
Culture and traditions
Fasching
The biggest yearly event in Bad Aussee occurs on ''Faschingsdienstag'' (
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten s ...
), when the ''Flinserln'' dress up in sequined costumes and parade through town to announce the coming of spring. Children recite old rhymes to the Flinserln and are rewarded with nuts or sweets. The Flinserln are accompanied by the ''Zacharin'', who keep spectators in line by waving
pig bladder
Pig bladder (also pig's bladder) is the urinary bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs. Historically, the pig bladde ...
s on the ends of sticks and occasionally rapping people on the head with them. The celebration is rounded off by the ''Trommelweiber'' (Drum Women). The Trommelweiber are a group of men dressed in women's nightgowns, who go from inn to inn banging on drums, pots and pans, and enjoy the free food and beer. According to the tale, the tradition of the Trommelweiber was initiated in the last century as a way for men who frequented pubs to poke fun at their wives: at the time, women were not allowed in such establishments and often resorted to banging on pots and pans outside of the premises in order to get their husbands to come out, come home and dry up. Inns, pubs and restaurants are heavily frequented during the ''Heilige Drei Faschingstage'' (the three 'holy' days of Fasching) by costumed revelers known as ''Maschgera''.
Narzissenfest
Bad Aussee's other major yearly event is the ''Narzissenfest'' (Narcissus Festival). Every spring, on the last weekend in May, participants construct massive floral sculptures made from daffodil blossoms, and parade them through town on large floats, accompanied by regional folk music. Some of these floral sculptures are later displayed along the shores of Grundlsee or Altausseersee, alternating from one year to the next.
Glöckler und Berigeln
Another local custom takes place on 5 January. During the day, children, called ''Glöckler'', go door to door with little bells and sacks and receive ''Faschingskrapfen'' (donuts), oranges, chocolate or nuts. In the evening, it's the adults' turn! They take to the streets dressed as ''Berigeln'', in raggedy traditional dress clothes, their faces covered with a black clothe mask. They carry with them large cow bells, with which they announce their arrival in front of those who open their homes to the Berigeln. Once the Berigeln enter a home, they refrain from speaking in order to conceal their identity. Usually the host tries to guess their identity, as they proceed to fill them up with home-made schnapps, beer, Faschingskrapfen, and other foods.
''Tracht''
Bad Aussee is unique within Austria as its inhabitants wear ''
Tracht
''Tracht'' () refers to traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions. Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolian and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German- ...
'' (traditional dress) on a daily basis. For women, this consists of a ''
Dirndl'', a type of dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt. Many women choose to wear an ''Ausseerdirndl'', which has a green bodice, a rose-colored skirt and a purple apron.
Famous people
*
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar.
Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''Mephisto'' ...
, Austrian actor and director
*
Barbara Frischmuth
Barbara Frischmuth (born 5 July 1941 in Altaussee, Salzkammergut) is an Austrian writer of poetry and prose.
She is a member of the Grazer Gruppe (the Graz Authors' Assembly), along with Peter Handke.
Books
*''Die Klosterschule'', 1968
*''Gesc ...
, Austrian writer
*, Austrian writer
*
Paul Preuss, Austrian
climber
*
Ulla Weigerstorfer
Ulla Weigerstorfer (born Ulrike Weigerstorfer 16 August 1967 in Bad Aussee, Styria, Austria) is an Austrian TV host, model and beauty queen who won Miss World 1987 in London representing Austria. She became the second titleholder from her countr ...
,
Miss World 1987
Miss World 1987, the 37th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 12 November 1987 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Ulla Weigerstorfer (''Queen of Europe'') from Austria. She was crowned by Miss World 1986, Giselle ...
;Music
*, reggae band
*
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
, eurodisco group
References
*Pollner, M. ''Das Salz-Kammergut'', 1993.
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Spa towns in Austria
Cities and towns in Liezen District