Schwendau (Pronunciation:''shven-dau'') is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Schwaz
Schwaz () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley.
Location
Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch a ...
district 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
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. First mentioned in 1200 as “''Swentowe''” (clearing of a pasture). The original meaning of this name is also illustrated on the emblem of the village in the form of an
axe
An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...
.
Geography
The municipal area comprises numerous component localities, including parts of
Hippach, and extends from the
Ziller
The Ziller () is a right tributary to the Inn, in the Zillertal in Tyrol, Austria. It is long, and its basin area is . It springs from the ridge of the Zillertal Alps, and feeds the Zillergründl Dam. In Mayrhofen it receives the Zemmbach (that ...
river up to the 2,590 m high Hoarbergjoch pass. Schwendau is closely connected to the neighbouring village of Hippach and they also share several facilities.
Family surname
The Schwendau family name traces its roots directly back to Schwendau, Austria. Family legend holds the family name was originally Baron von Schwendau (Barons of Swanland) and they were the lowest form of royalty dubbed by Archduke Albert V the Magnanimous. The family responsibility would have been that of tax collectors and local sheriff. The Schwendau family believes their crest to be that of a defense weapon and not a tool.
There are less than 75 Schwendau family members living in North America.. Because so many girls have been born to the Schwendau family, it is believed the family will cease to exist in the next 100 years.
The family can trace its family tree back to Prussia in the 1700s and to Canada and America around 1850. The family crest dates back to the 1400s.
References
{{Tyrol-geo-stub