Zell am See

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Dreifaltigkeitsgasse lane, Zell am See

Zell am See is a spa town and winter ski resort in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the Zell am See district (Bezirk), also known as Pinzgau. Zell am See is located at 47°19′26″N, 12°47′55″E, on the Zeller See, and has a population of 9,638 (2001).

1 Geography
- 1.1 Geographical location
- 1.2 City structure
2 History
- 2.1 Timeline
3 Buildings and sights
4 Coat of arms
5 Education
6 External links

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geographical location

Zell is located on a large lake - the Zeller See - which is 4.5 km long and 850 to 1400 m wide, with an area of 4.7 sq.km and a depth up to 68 m. It is backed by the 2000m (6560ft)Schmittenhohe mountain. A cable car runs from the outskirts of the town to the summit, where there is a restaurant.

[edit] City structure

Zell am See divides into five cadastral townships:

Bruckberg
Erlberg
Schmitten
Thumersbach
Zell am See
Oldenzaal

[edit] History

Zell am See was already populated in Roman times. In 740 AD, by order of the Archbishop Johannes (John) of Salzburg, monks founded the village "Cella in Bisonzio". Zell received the rights of a market town in 1357, and its city rights on January 24, 1928.

Lakeside walk

[edit] Timeline

1868 Foundation of the Voluntary Firefighters
July 30th 1875 Railway opening (Giselabahn), start of tourism in the summer months
July 15th 1879 Opening of the Hotel "Elisabeth"
1881 Start of steam navigation with boat "Elisabeth" on the lake
1885 Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) visits the Schmittenhöhe (mountain)
1887 The Municipality takes over the ship navigation on the Zeller Lake
1893 Visit of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I
1894 A landmark of the town - das Grand Hotel - is built
1898 Business start of the Pinzgau Local Railway (Pinzgauer Lokalbahn)
1906 Foundation of the Skiing Club Zell am See; first winter sports festival
1906 and 1910 Acquisition of electric motor boats, end of steam ship navigation
1914 Railway track becomes double tracked
1924 A light plane lands on the sheet of ice of the Zeller Lake
1928 Construction of the tennis courts (used for ice-skating and ice-hockey in winter)
January 25th 1928 Commissioning of the Schmittenhöhebahn (up to the Schmitten mountain)
1928 Foundation of a chapter of the Austrian Aeronautical Association (Österr. Flugtechnischer Verein)
1930 Opening of the Hauptschule (like Secondary Modern School)
February 1937 5. Academic World Wintergames
8. Mai 1952 Opening of the Alpine Gliding School
15. Mai 1959 Opening of Airport Zell
1961 Zell receives the status of a climatic spa
1966 Serious damage due to thunderstorms, the River Schmitten overflows its banks
1968 Construction of the Spa- and Sportcenter and foundation of the Europe Sports Region
1973 Ski-Worldcup (December 12th to December 20th)
1975 Rosenberg Castle (16th century) becomes the town hall
1976 Opening of the new hospital
1977 Commissioning of the one-rope chairlift "Zeller Bergbahn"
1979 Consecration of the pedestrian area
1979 Worldcup Downhill Women
1981 Honorary citizen/Dr.h.c.Ferdinand Porsche
1981 Honorary citizen/Commercial Council Dr.h.c. Louise Piech-Porsche
1996 Opening of the road tunnel (Schmittentunnel 5110 m)
2000 Award ceremony of the Sydney Olympia winners Steinacher + Hagara (Tornado-Sailing)
2004 Award ceremony of the Athens Olympia winners Steinacher + Hagara (Tornado-Sailing)
2005 Christening of the third ship on the Zeller Lake, the "Schmittenhöhe)

(Source: Custos Cav. H. Scholz)

[edit] Buildings and sights

St. Hippolyte's Church

Within this church are the oldest known building remnants of the Pinzgau. The church is build in a mostly Romanesque style and consist of three naves. Before 1794 the central nave was crowned with a Gothic vault, but in that year it was replaced with another vault, which in turn was replaced by a flat wooden roof in 1898. 4 steps lead up to the main altar, but the crypt has been filled in. The narthex and aisles are still Gothic, but some of the other Gothic objects (like the neogothic altars by Josef Bachlehner) were added during the renovation in 1898, when also the baroque furnishings of preceding centuries were removed.

The highpoint of the church is its elevated walkway with its ornate parapet, build in 1514. The walkway rests on four differently carved columns of precious marble, in between which an intricate net-vault is spun. The three pointed arches are crowned with a number of crockets, and end in pointed towers. In between the arches are gothic baldachins with cut-out figures of St. Hippolyte and St. Florian, originating from 1520.

The tower is the main focus of the Zell am See skyline. It has a height of 36 meters. The strong walls have a limestone exterior.

From 1660 until 1670, the main altar was replaced by a baroque one, which was removed again in 1760. Almost none of the baroque furnishings of the church remain apart from some adornments. Two baroque statues ended up in the church of Prielau. Currently visible next to the main altar are two statues dating from 1480: St. Rupert and Vigil. The side altar contains an image of the Virgin Mary from the now non-existent Church of Maria Wald, which dates from 1540. The left nave has a small altar dedicated to St. Sebastian in its apsis.

[edit] Coat of arms

Zell am See Coat of Arms

Alongside the Coat of Arms, the municipality uses a flag with the colors white-red-white.

[edit] Education

In Zell am See there are 3 Elementary Schools, one Hauptschule (like Secondary Modern School), one Special School, one Vocational School, one Grammar School, one Commercial Academy and a Commercial School: