Absam
Encyclopedia
Absam is a municipality in the Innsbruck-Land District, Tyrol
(Austria
) situated at an altitude of 632 m, has an area of 52 km² and 6700 inhabitants as January 2011.
, in the lower Inn Valley (Unterinntal), at the slopes of the Zunterkopf Haller group, north of Hall in Tirol
to which is connected with the regional road (Landesstraße
) L 225, while the L 372 is the road connecting with Innsbruck via Mühlau, Arzl, Rum and Thaur.
It is possible to reach the village by using bus lines D and E from Innsbruck.
The highest point in the municipality is the summit of Große Bettelwurf at altitude of 2775 m.
The neighbour municipalities are: Baumkirchen
, Fritzens
, Gnadenwald
, Hall in Tirol
, Innsbruck
, Mils, Tyrol, Scharnitz
, Thaur
, Vomp
.
, though the Romans had conquered the Tyrol in 15 AD. Of the Roman period were the place names, including "Abazanes", hence Absam. Abazanes was mentioned for the first time in 995, in a document kept in the records of the Diocese of Brixen; at that time the Bishop of Augsburg was the owner of most of the land in the region, which was administered by the Maierhof. The village, in 1282, belonged to the parish of Thaur that covered the entire region. In 1288 appeared the name "Abzan" in the register of the lands of Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
, and in the fourteenth century Absam was cited 14 times in the documents including one, on September 21, 1331, concerning the appointment of church to parish, until then affiliated with Thaur.
Absam is located in the area, along with Hall in Tirol and Thaur, salt mine
, source of income for the sovereign of the time and that the documents reported the start date of the mining in 1232. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth century was culminated in the production of salt, so that in 1615 were 547 workers employed in the extraction which, benefiting from a good salary, contributed to the development of trade in the village. At the same time there was a decisive step towards the industrialization of Absam, due to the energy produced by the stream Baubach, with the opening of sawmills, forges and mills and the development of coppersmith crafts, so that the firm of Oswald Kofler provided for the production of fifteen thousand sheets of copper for the roof of the church of Schwaz
. In 1809 during the Tyrolean Rebellion 73 shooters of Absam joined the Tyrolean troops under the command of Josef Speckbacher
.
In 1845, Absam, opened his first factory, spinning and weaving company Faistenberger, followed by others including a foundry, a chocolate, boot, paint factories and a metal carpentry, giving an impulse to the industrial development while mining, because of new extraction techniques and lower world prices, was in decline, and as result the oldest industry in Tyrol finally closed on September 5, 1967. The Swarovski company in 1949, moved to Absam the Optik department in the neighbourhood of Eichat where, during the last war, the Wehrmacht built a barracks.
, the church was destroyed; in 1420 under the leadership of Hans Sewer from Hall in Tirol, began the reconstruction, in late Gothic style with three naves and massive columns, which was completed in 1440 .
Two important works of art date from this period: an altarpiece of 1470, discovered during the restoration of 1930, in late Gothic style depicting the Madonna with four women and a crucifix, said Fiegersche, dating to 1492. During the 1670 earthquake that struck the valley, the bell tower was damaged and rebuilt in 1677 replacing the pyramid roof with a dome and in 1871 the church roof was covered with copper plates. In 1776 the church was appointed as curacy and in 1779 was renovated internally in the Rococo style with frescoes by Josef Anton Zoller.
On 24 June 1797 was transferred to the Church the image of the Virgin Mary, who was impressed on the glass window of the peasant Rosina Buecher’s house on January 17, 1797; the church was then called Maria Absam Sanctuary.
On June 24, 2000, the day of St. John the Baptist and the village's second patron saint, the church was proclaimed Basilica
, although there had been no petition for such a change by community, becoming the first sanctuary in the Tyrol to get this designation without have been a monastery.
of his time in Europe before Stradivari, the only non Italian luthier to rank at the top of that artistic crafts. Until orchestral music replaced chamber music as the dominant form, Stainer's violins were more sought after even than Stradivari's. He was born around 1617 in Absam where he attended the school until 1630, probably learned Latin, than attended an apprenticeship in joinery and in 1644 went to Cremona
to complete his training as a luthier. The following year he opened his workshop and married Margarete Holzhammer who bore him eight children. Stainer continued to produce outstanding instruments for court musicians and for the orchestra of the Cathedral of Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Bozen, Meran, Brixen and the court of Spain. In 1658 Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria awarded him the honour of "servant of Archduke" and in 1669 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
awarded him as "Imperial servant." The same year he was arrested in Innsbruck, as he was found in possession of books concerning Lutheranism
, he had to do an act of repentance, but continued to receive orders from the church. In 1680 he fell into a maniacal-depressive syndrome, and died three years later in Absam.
because expert of mountain warfare tactics. After the defeat of 1809 he moved to Vienna, where in 1813 he was promoted to major, returned the following year in Hall in Tirol, where he died on March 20, 1820.
KG founded in 1935 by Wilhelm Swarovski, having developed an innovative process of smoothing lenses and prisms, he applied it to the production of binoculars. The first serial product "Habicht 7 x 42" is still in production and used mainly in the hunting optics. Swarovski Optik also manufactures telescopes, rifle scopes, optronic instruments, range finders and image intensifier tubes.
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) situated at an altitude of 632 m, has an area of 52 km² and 6700 inhabitants as January 2011.
Geography
Absam is placed 15 km from InnsbruckInnsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, in the lower Inn Valley (Unterinntal), at the slopes of the Zunterkopf Haller group, north of Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn valley, it has a population of about 12,700 .-History:...
to which is connected with the regional road (Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
) L 225, while the L 372 is the road connecting with Innsbruck via Mühlau, Arzl, Rum and Thaur.
It is possible to reach the village by using bus lines D and E from Innsbruck.
The highest point in the municipality is the summit of Große Bettelwurf at altitude of 2775 m.
The neighbour municipalities are: Baumkirchen
Baumkirchen
Baumkirchen is a community in the district of Innsbruck Land. It lies in the Inn Valley north of the Inn River on a batter of the Gnadenwald terrace. The village can be reached via the Inn Valley Motorway.-External links:*...
, Fritzens
Fritzens
Fritzens is a municipality in the district Innsbruck country in Tyrol . It lies 16 km east of Innsbruck on the left side of the Inn River. The origin of the village goes back until 6 BC.Nowadays Fritzens has an intense connection with Wattens....
, Gnadenwald
Gnadenwald
Gnadenwald is a municipality in the eastern part of the district Innsbruck country. The village consists of several hamlets and the church villages: St. Martin and St. Michael....
, Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn valley, it has a population of about 12,700 .-History:...
, Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Mils, Tyrol, Scharnitz
Scharnitz
Scharnitz is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located 16,40 km north of Innsbruck as well as 9 km above Seefeld in Tirol at the border to Germany. It has one of the biggest area size and possesses 12 parts. The village was founded in the early middle age and was once an...
, Thaur
Thaur
Thaur is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located 5 km east of Innsbruck between Rum, Austria and Hall in Tirol. As a matter of fact that Thaur is not far away from the capital it is a popular area of settlement nowadays but the old village core is still intact.Settlement of...
, Vomp
Vomp
Vomp is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
.
Origin
The origin of a prehistoric settlement in Absam is not sure, although was found a disk pommel of a sword and a brooch of copper that dates back to 1500 BC. There were not found traces of Roman settlements, but the discovery of a coin dating from the time of DiocletianDiocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, though the Romans had conquered the Tyrol in 15 AD. Of the Roman period were the place names, including "Abazanes", hence Absam. Abazanes was mentioned for the first time in 995, in a document kept in the records of the Diocese of Brixen; at that time the Bishop of Augsburg was the owner of most of the land in the region, which was administered by the Maierhof. The village, in 1282, belonged to the parish of Thaur that covered the entire region. In 1288 appeared the name "Abzan" in the register of the lands of Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
, and in the fourteenth century Absam was cited 14 times in the documents including one, on September 21, 1331, concerning the appointment of church to parish, until then affiliated with Thaur.
Absam is located in the area, along with Hall in Tirol and Thaur, salt mine
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
, source of income for the sovereign of the time and that the documents reported the start date of the mining in 1232. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth century was culminated in the production of salt, so that in 1615 were 547 workers employed in the extraction which, benefiting from a good salary, contributed to the development of trade in the village. At the same time there was a decisive step towards the industrialization of Absam, due to the energy produced by the stream Baubach, with the opening of sawmills, forges and mills and the development of coppersmith crafts, so that the firm of Oswald Kofler provided for the production of fifteen thousand sheets of copper for the roof of the church of Schwaz
Schwaz
Schwaz is a city in Tyrol, Austria. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district . Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley, and has a population of about 13,000....
. In 1809 during the Tyrolean Rebellion 73 shooters of Absam joined the Tyrolean troops under the command of Josef Speckbacher
Josef Speckbacher
Josef Speckbacher was a leading figure in the rebellion of the Tyrol against Napoleon.-References:...
.
In 1845, Absam, opened his first factory, spinning and weaving company Faistenberger, followed by others including a foundry, a chocolate, boot, paint factories and a metal carpentry, giving an impulse to the industrial development while mining, because of new extraction techniques and lower world prices, was in decline, and as result the oldest industry in Tyrol finally closed on September 5, 1967. The Swarovski company in 1949, moved to Absam the Optik department in the neighbourhood of Eichat where, during the last war, the Wehrmacht built a barracks.
Coat-of-arms
The emblem of Absam is quartered, the first depicts the face of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing the divine appearance in 1797, the remaining part has been a violin on gold background, in memory of the famous luthier Jakobus Stainer, who lived in Absam. The emblem was adopted July 20, 1965.Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel
The first documented mention of the church of St. Michael the Archangel, as parish of Absam, dates back to September 21, 1331 by decree of the Bishop of Brixen Heinrich von Taufers. In 1413, with the invasion of the BavariiBavarii
The Bavarii were a Germanic tribe whose name emerged late in Teutonic tribal times. The full name originally was the Germanic *baio-warioz. This name has been handed down as Baiwaren, Baioaren, Bioras, latinised Bavarii, Baioarii. or Bavarii, Bavarians, Bajuwaren, Bajuvarii, Bajuwaren and Baiern....
, the church was destroyed; in 1420 under the leadership of Hans Sewer from Hall in Tirol, began the reconstruction, in late Gothic style with three naves and massive columns, which was completed in 1440 .
Two important works of art date from this period: an altarpiece of 1470, discovered during the restoration of 1930, in late Gothic style depicting the Madonna with four women and a crucifix, said Fiegersche, dating to 1492. During the 1670 earthquake that struck the valley, the bell tower was damaged and rebuilt in 1677 replacing the pyramid roof with a dome and in 1871 the church roof was covered with copper plates. In 1776 the church was appointed as curacy and in 1779 was renovated internally in the Rococo style with frescoes by Josef Anton Zoller.
On 24 June 1797 was transferred to the Church the image of the Virgin Mary, who was impressed on the glass window of the peasant Rosina Buecher’s house on January 17, 1797; the church was then called Maria Absam Sanctuary.
On June 24, 2000, the day of St. John the Baptist and the village's second patron saint, the church was proclaimed Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, although there had been no petition for such a change by community, becoming the first sanctuary in the Tyrol to get this designation without have been a monastery.
Jacob Stainer
Jacob Stainer was one of the most famous luthierLuthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
of his time in Europe before Stradivari, the only non Italian luthier to rank at the top of that artistic crafts. Until orchestral music replaced chamber music as the dominant form, Stainer's violins were more sought after even than Stradivari's. He was born around 1617 in Absam where he attended the school until 1630, probably learned Latin, than attended an apprenticeship in joinery and in 1644 went to Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
to complete his training as a luthier. The following year he opened his workshop and married Margarete Holzhammer who bore him eight children. Stainer continued to produce outstanding instruments for court musicians and for the orchestra of the Cathedral of Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Bozen, Meran, Brixen and the court of Spain. In 1658 Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria awarded him the honour of "servant of Archduke" and in 1669 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
awarded him as "Imperial servant." The same year he was arrested in Innsbruck, as he was found in possession of books concerning Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
, he had to do an act of repentance, but continued to receive orders from the church. In 1680 he fell into a maniacal-depressive syndrome, and died three years later in Absam.
Josef Speckbacher
Josef Speckbacher was born on June 13, 1767 in Gnadenwald, was a military who participated in the battles against the French and their allies in 1797, 1800 and 1805. During the Tyrolean rebellion, he played a key role in the three Battles of BergiselBattles of Bergisel
The Battles of Bergisel were four battles fought between the forces of Emperor Napoleon I of France and the Kingdom of Bavaria against Tyrolean militiamen and a contingent of Austrian regular soldiers at the Bergisel hill near Innsbruck...
because expert of mountain warfare tactics. After the defeat of 1809 he moved to Vienna, where in 1813 he was promoted to major, returned the following year in Hall in Tirol, where he died on March 20, 1820.
Walburga Schindl
- February 16, 1826; Absam; † April 30, 1872; KremnitzKremnicaKremnica is a town in central Slovakia. It has some 5,700 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.-History:...
, Authoress.
Industries
Absam is home to the Swarovski OptikSwarovski Optik
Swarovski Optik is an Austrian manufacturer of sports optics, including binoculars, rifle scopes, telescopes, laser rangefinders and image intensifiers. Its headquarters are in Absam, Tyrol, where most of the products are developed and manufactured....
KG founded in 1935 by Wilhelm Swarovski, having developed an innovative process of smoothing lenses and prisms, he applied it to the production of binoculars. The first serial product "Habicht 7 x 42" is still in production and used mainly in the hunting optics. Swarovski Optik also manufactures telescopes, rifle scopes, optronic instruments, range finders and image intensifier tubes.