Zirl 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' ...

and

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in the district of

Innsbruck-Land The Bezirk Innsbruck-Land is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Tyrol, Austria. It encloses the Statutarstadt Innsbruck, and borders Bavaria (Germany) in the north, the district Schwaz in the east, South Tyrol in Italy to the south, and th ...

in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

. It is known for its

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

-recognised ''Zachäussingen'' celebration, and history of

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...

–making. Situated at an altitude of 622 metres above sea level, it lies approximately 10 kilometres west of

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal 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 Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

at the edge of the

Karwendel The Karwendel is the largest mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps. It is located on the Austria–Germany border. The major part belongs to the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, while the adjacent area in the north is part ...

mountains. The area around the town is frequented by climbers, hikers, and cyclers.

Geography

Zirl is known for its natural surroundings, which include the Martinswand rock face, the Ehnbach gorge, and parts of the

Nordkette The Nordkette, also variously called the North Chain, Northern Range, rarely the Inn Valley Range or Inn Valley Chain (''Inntalkette''), is a range of mountains just north of the city of Innsbruck in Austria. It is the southernmost of the four gr ...

mountain range. The Martinswand is a popular destination for climbers. The area is also part of a nature reserve and was once a favourite hunting ground of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who famously took refuge in a cave now known as Emperor Max Grotto. The town is a starting point for hikes along the

High Route, as well as trails leading to the Neue Magdeburger Mountain Hut and the Solstein Refuge. Cyclists also frequent the Inn Cycle Route – Tiroler Oberland, which connects the Swiss

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

valley of

Engadin The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...

with Innsbruck.

History and culture

The area where present-day Zirl is located was first mentioned as "Cyreolu" and "Cyreola" in documents written in 799. Zirl, along with the nearby town of

Thaur Thaur is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol located 5 km east of Innsbruck between Rum, Austria and Hall in Tirol. Settlement of the area probably began around 1000 BC but the locat ...

, became a center for Tyrolean

–making in the 17th century. This cultural heritage is preserved and showcased at the Local History and Nativity Scene Museum (Heimat- und Krippenmuseum), which displays a wide collection of cribs used during

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

and

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

. The museum also features historic tools, farming equipment, photographs, and original works by Franz Plattner, a notable church painter from Zirl. The Parish Church of the Holy Cross is another important landmark of Zirl. First mentioned in 1391, it features a 62-metre-high tower constructed during the reign of Maximilian I and capped with a Baroque

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point. It is a typical ...

in 1770. The current church building was constructed between 1847 and 1849, and is adorned with frescoes in the Nazarene style by Plattner, painted between 1860 and 1887. The church also houses a baptismal font dating back to the time of Maximilian I. In 2017, the church’s roof and

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

were restored to their original colours. One of the most significant annual traditions in Zirl is the ''Zachäussingen'', a local custom that has been recognised by

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

. On the third Sunday of every October, townspeople gather at 4:30 a.m. to sing the "''Zachäuslied''" outside the Parish Church of the Holy Cross, followed by music, dancing, and local delicacies. The celebration has been around for over 300 years. The grapevine on Zirl's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is a reference to the town's longstanding tradition of

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

, supported by the area's relatively mild climate.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Innsbruck-Land District