Goldegg, also called Goldegg im Pongau, is a municipality in
St. Johann im Pongau District, in the state of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Ăstareich 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 ...
.
Geography
It is situated on a sunny plateau north of the
Salzach
The Salzach (Austrian: saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central ...
River, the so-called « Sunny Terrace » at a distance of south of the City of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
. In fact, the village owes its name (âGoldegg at the lakeâ) to a small lake at which it is located. There are approximately 2200 inhabitants living in the local area, which covers 33,1 square kilometres.
The municipal area includes the
cadastral communities of Buchberg, Goldegg, and Weng.
History
Archaeological findings in the area date back to the
Hallstatt
Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of HallstÀtter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...
era, where a settlement was located on the mountain pass road up the
Gastein
Bad Gastein (; formerly ''Badgastein''; Southern Bavarian: ''Bod Goschdei'') is a spa town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Picturesquely situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range, it i ...
Valley and across the
Hohe Tauern
The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of ...
mountain range.
Goldegg Castle was built in the 14th century. The Lords of Goldegg had sided with the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
king
Louis IV of Germany in the conflict with his
Habsburg rival
Frederick the Fair
Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 â 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king ...
, whereafter the
Archbishops of Salzburg had their estates devastated. King Louis, having prevailed in the 1322
Battle of MĂŒhldorf
The Battle of MĂŒhldorf (also known as the Battle of Ampfing) was fought near MĂŒhldorf am Inn on September 28, 1322 between the Duchy of (Upper) Bavaria and Austria. The Bavarians were led by the German king Louis of Wittelsbach, while the ...
, backed the erection of a new castle and a parish church. The building remained a Salzburg fief, given in pawn several time and finally seized by Prince-Archbishop
Wolf Dietrich Raitenau
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (26 March 1559 – 16 January 1617) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1587 to 1612.
Life
Raitenau was born at Hofen Castle in Lochau, near Bregenz in Further Austria, the son of the Habsburg colonel Hans Werne ...
in 1612. It is now a modern cultural centre, offering interesting events all the year round, like
concerts
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
, exhibitions of regional or international artists, theatrical or comedian performances, seminars or workshops.
The municipality also possesses a museum, exhibiting a great collection of pottery, folkloristic clothes and
rustic furniture
Rustic furniture is furniture employing sticks, twigs or logs for a natural look. The term ârusticâ is derived from Latin ârusticusâ (peasant; as opposed to urban). The style is rooted in Romantic tradition. In the US it is almost synonym ...
.
Anti-fascist resistance and "
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
deserters"
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countriesâincluding all of the great powersâforming two opposing ...
, a substantial number of locals centered around the conscientious objector ''Karl Rupitsch'' resisted the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
hegemony present in the village. After the drawn-out conflict against this local resistance, the resisting forces, hiding in the mountains, were eventually captured one by one, after the local
secret police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of ...
had ordered a battalion of
SS men from
Hallein
Hallein () is a historic town in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is the capital of Hallein district.
Geography
The town is located in the ''Tennengau'' region south of the City of Salzburg, stretching along the Salzach river in the shadow of ...
to assist in beating the bushes for the "Rupitsch clique". Consequently, a majority of them was deported to
concentration camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
, although two of them, the ''Hochleitner'' brothers, were executed on the spot.
In the past, the locals were divided in their opinions on these "deserters" and to this day remain divided. A large number of locals, primarily in the town centre, were supporters of the Nazis, whereas others, primarily in the neighborhood of Weng, fully supported the anti-fascist resistance. Only very recently, in 2014, the official chronicle of the town removed the references of the resistors as "bandits" and a "scourge". As well in 2014, a memorial to honor the Goldegg resistance was erected. This memorial was desecrated for the first time in 2018.
References
Further reading
Website of the "Goldegg deserters"
External links
{{authority control
Cities and towns in St. Johann im Pongau District