Wildschönau is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
within the district of
Kufstein in the state of
Tyrol 6 km south of
Wörgl.
The 24 km long high valley near
Wörgl is one of the district's tourist centers. Besides a few
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
s, the municipality consists of the four church villages ''Niederau, Oberau,
Auffach and Thierbach'' and is situated in the
Kitzbühel Alps. The municipal office is located in Oberau.
Besides two tourist seasons, the intense highland agriculture plays an economic role. A lot of inhabitants commute to their place of work in other municipalities. The municipality Wildschönau is based on "gentle" tourism and emphasizes not being a ski circuit like the nearby
Kitzbühel. Several older T-bar lifts in the skiing region of
Schatzberg (Auffach) were replaced with two
chair lifts. A lift connection with the Alpbach valley was built in Summer 2012.
For a long time,
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
took place.
Neighbouring municipalities
Alpbach,
Brixlegg,
Hopfgarten im Brixental,
Kundl,
Wörgl.
Boundaries
The western border of the valley is formed by the following mountains (listed from north to south):
Gratlspitz, ''Schatzberg'', ''Joelspitze'', ''Lämpersberg'', ''Kleiner Beil'',
Großer Beil (the highest mountain in the valley), and ''Sonnjoch''. In the east there are the:
Roßkopf,
Feldalphorn, ''Schwaiberghorn'', ''Breiteggern'', and ''Breiteggspitze'' (listed from north to south). In the north, the valley is separated from the Inntal by a much lower mountain chain, which is cleft by the ''Kundler Klamm'', above which is the ''Kragenjoch''. At the end of the valley is a rather flat pass, the ''Schafsiedeljoch''.
History
The first mention of Wildschönau dates back to 1193–95, when the Bavarian count Henry of Lechsgemünd-Rettenberg transferred some of his people to the
Herrenchiemsee cloister. Among the testimonies of the deed issued in that circumstance was the
ministerialis
The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...
''«Adelbertus de Wiltsconenŏwe»'' (Albert of Wildschönau).
[Martin Bitschnau, Hannes Obermair (eds). ''Tiroler Urkundenbuch''. II. Abt.: ''Die Urkunden zur Geschichte des Inn-, Eisack- und Pustertals''. Vol. 2: ''1140—1200''. Innsbruck: Wagner 2012. , p. 382, no. 881.]
Coat of arms
Legend has it that the high valley was originally covered by a lake, with a
dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
living on its shores. A farmer killed the dragon and during its death struggle, it smashed the rocks which retained the lake. The water poured down through the resulting
flume, the so-called ''Kundler Klamm'', towards the Inn valley and the high valley was released. The coat of arms depicts the legendary dragon, while cleaving the rock.
References
External links
Official page of WildschönauTourist Office Wildschönau*
Live webcam in the Wildschönau ValleyAlpenverein/Sektion Wörgl-Wildschönau Homepage of the Schatzbergbahn AuffachHomepage of the football club WildschönauWildschönau Brewery
Cities and towns in Kufstein District
{{Tyrol-geo-stub