Flachau is a village in the district of St. Johann im Pongau 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

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, with a population of 2,802 (2016 data). Its numerous skiing facilities are part of the

Ski Amadé The Ski Amadé region of Austria is a network of 28 ski areas and towns that combined, make up the second largest ski area in Europe.largest ski domain is Dolomiti Superski It is named after the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was born in the ...

network of ski areas, one of the largest in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

History

Up into the 19th century, Flachau was a center of iron

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...

in the Pongau district. Remains of the works have since been demolished, and only street and house names remain as reminders. Flachau is home to a parish church consecrated on September 8th, 1722, which was built upon the request of the miners and smelters of the village. The altars of the church are painted by

Johann Michael Rottmayr Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was an Austrian painter. Biography Rottmayr was born in Laufen an der Salzach, Bavaria. Along with his Laufen-born contemporary, Hans Adam Weissenkircher, he received his edu ...

Notable events

Flachau hosts the annual

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

FIS Alpine Ski World cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

woman's race in winter. Since 2012, Flachau hosts the

minus20degree ''minus20degree'' (abbreviated to ''m20d'') is a contemporary art and architecture exhibition that takes place every 2 years in Flachau, Austria during winter. The exhibition lasts for 3 days in January. The biennale was founded by Theo Deutinge ...

art and architecture biennale occurring in winter.

Notable citizens

Hermann Maier Hermann Maier (born 7 December 1972) is an Austrian former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the "Herminator", Maier ranks among the greatest alpine ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup tit ...

(born 1972 in Flachau; Austrian

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

, four-time World Cup winner, Olympic gold medalist) * Claudia Riegler; professional snowboarder (world cup winner, world champion 2015) *

Manuela Riegler Manuela Riegler (born 15 June 1974) is an Austrian snowboarder. She was born in Schwarzach im Pongau, and is a sister Claudia Riegler. She competed in women's parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and she competed at the 2006 Win ...

; professional snowboarder (world cup winner, world champion 2005) *

Kaspar Steger Kaspar is a given name and surname which may refer to: Given name: * Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1459 – c. 1527) * Kaspar Albrecht (1889–1970), Austrian architect and sculptor * Kaspar Amort (1612–1675), German painter * Caspa ...

, Austrian Army Captain (1780–1858); Leader of the

Radstadt Radstadt (Central Bavarian: ''Rodstoud'' or ''Rodstod'') is a historic town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Geography The town is part of the Salzburg Pongau region. It is located in the valley of the ...

Fusilier Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French language, French word ''fusil'' – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has ...

s fighting French and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n Forces in the

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...

(1809)

References

External links

*
Flachau tourist authority
{{authority control Cities and towns in St. Johann im Pongau District Radstadt Tauern