Terfens 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 district with 2116 inhabitants 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 ...

. It is located about 20 km northeast of

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

in the Lower Inn Valley.

Geography

Terfens lies in the Lower Inn Valley 20 km east of Innsbruck. The

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

forms the southern municipal boundary. On the north and east, the boundary is the brook of Vomperbach, which flows into the Inn. Between the two is the small lake Weißlahnsee.

Heraldry

The arms were granted on September 3, 1974. The name is derived from a Celtic word for oak or acorn. The coat of arms contains five pairs of acorns

fess In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ''fesse'', from Old French ''faisse'', from Latin ''fascia'', "band") is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.Wo ...

wise in pale Or.

Neighbouring municipalities

Neighbourghing municipalities of Terfens are Weer, Kolsass, Weerberg, Pill, Fritzens and Kolsassberg.

Customs

The

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

of Terfens (Bundesmusikkapelle Terfens), a traditional brass orchestra, was founded in 1796 in the course of the reopening of the Maria Larch church. In 2016, the chapel had 55 active musicians. In autumn it is custom to do an Almabtrieb from Engalm via Lamsenjoch and the streets of Vomp to Terfens, that means the cows from the Alm are brought with traditional flower decoration on their heads to the village. Like in other municipalities of the district of Schwaz, there is the custom of Grasausläuten in spring. Boys of the village go through the village with bells in order to announce the end of winter.

Architecture

One of Terfens' major landmarks is the Maria Larch pilgrimage church. The church was founded in 1678 in the former location of a statue of the Virgin Mary attached to a larch tree. The statue originates in 1665; it was put there because a farmer's wife prayed to the larch tree and when she told the story to a hermit called Johann Weiss, he created the clay statue. The church was renovated in 1994. Terfens is famous for having an upside-down house which has become a tourist attraction. It was built in 2012 by two Polish architects.

Prominent figures

The spouses Paul Unterkircher and Karola Unterkircher, who committed bomb attacks in South Tyrol ( Pfunderer Buam or Ein Tirol) with the goal of having South Tyrol become a part of Austria again instead of remaining Italian lived in Terfens. The municipal council of Terfens campaigned for the pardon of Karola Unterkirchers after she was arrested.

References

Cities and towns in Schwaz District {{Tyrol-geo-stub