Jenbach
Encyclopedia
Jenbach is a municipality with 6897 inhabitants (01/01/2010) in the district of Schwaz
in Tyrol
, Austria
. Many inhabitants of Jenbach believe that the name "Jenbach" is derived from "Jenseits des Baches", which means "Beyond the brook", however earlier versions of the name, for instance "Umbach" give hint that it could also be derived from "Um den Bach [herum]", which means "Around the brook". At least this coheres with Jenbach's history as a village built around the Kasbach.
The inhabitants of Jenbach are called "Jenbacher".
People speaking the Bavarian
dialect tend to pronounce "Jenbach" as "Jembåch".
, Eben am Achensee
, Stans
, Wiesing
.
and of the early La-Tène-Age. Jenbach was first officially named in a document of the year of 1269 as "Ymbach". From 1410 onwards the Fugger
constructed melting furnaces in order to proceed the silver and copper won in the mines near Schwaz
. After these mines could no more deliver these resources Jenbach started to work on iron. Until 1865 these early industrial infrastructure remained private, however afterwards the state took ownership. In 1870 the factory was resold to the Salzburg-Tiroler-Montangesellschaft. In 1881 Julius & Theodor Reitlinger purchased it from this company and modernised it.
The company remained a possession of the family until 1938, when the son of Julius Reitlinger, Friedrich Reitlinger, committed suicide due to the Anschluss
(the merging of Germany
and Austria) in 1938. Afterwards it was taken over by the state and later resold to Ernst Heinkel
(Aryanization
). After 1945 the company was not restituted to its former owners, but remained under public administration.
In February 1945 31 tons of bombs were cast upon the railway station during the Operation Clarion
in order to prevent the Reichsbahn from transporting war-material. This was necessary for the impeding invasion of Germany and Austria.
The air attack on Jenbach destroyed 35 houses and left 8 people dead.
During the war the Heinkel-factories produced motors for the Me-163, the first engine-powered airplane, and other parts for the V2-missiles fired at southern English cities during the summer of 1940.
In April and May, remainders of SS-units, among them the main staff of the SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler
, withdrew from the quickly advancing French units commanded by Charles de Gaulle
, to Tyrol, where Nazi propaganda had virtually inscenerated a "fortress in the Alps". SS-commanders ecouraged their soldiers to fight "to the last bullet".
Direct infenteristic confrontations were rare, as the SS could be convinced of the better: On 2 May, they withdrew to Bavaria
, leaving an amount of weaponry in the Achensee
. Mayor Somweber and a lieutenant of the Austrian resistance
, Nentwich, negotiated with both, the SS and the allies, to withdraw and not to air raid Jenbach anymore.
Today the GE Jenbacher AG is the word-leading company in the production of gas-engined motors.
GE Jenbacher, Siko Solar, TIWAG, Katzenberger, Gubert, and Holz Binder.
During the 20th century, the Jenbacher Werke produced waggons, locomotives, motors and other goods.
The Kasbach serves as a source of energy for several smaller water plants.
Jenbach also has a highschool specialised in mechanical and economical engineering.
Jenbach also has - due to its infrastructural importance - the only railway station in all of Austria, in which trains of all three types stop.
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 Tyrol
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...
. Many inhabitants of Jenbach believe that the name "Jenbach" is derived from "Jenseits des Baches", which means "Beyond the brook", however earlier versions of the name, for instance "Umbach" give hint that it could also be derived from "Um den Bach [herum]", which means "Around the brook". At least this coheres with Jenbach's history as a village built around the Kasbach.
The inhabitants of Jenbach are called "Jenbacher".
People speaking the Bavarian
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
dialect tend to pronounce "Jenbach" as "Jembåch".
Neighbouring municiplaities
Buch bei JenbachBuch bei Jenbach
Buch bei Jenbach is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
, Eben am Achensee
Eben am Achensee
Eben am Achensee is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
, Stans
Stans
Stans is the capital of the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.-History:Stans is one of the oldest settlements in the entire Nidwalden valley. The first traces of human settlement date to the 2nd Century BC...
, Wiesing
Wiesing
Wiesing is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria.-External links:...
.
History
In Jenbach housings could be found which date back to the end of the early Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and of the early La-Tène-Age. Jenbach was first officially named in a document of the year of 1269 as "Ymbach". From 1410 onwards the Fugger
Fugger
The Fugger family was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists like the Welser and the Höchstetter families. This banking family replaced the de'...
constructed melting furnaces in order to proceed the silver and copper won in the mines near 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....
. After these mines could no more deliver these resources Jenbach started to work on iron. Until 1865 these early industrial infrastructure remained private, however afterwards the state took ownership. In 1870 the factory was resold to the Salzburg-Tiroler-Montangesellschaft. In 1881 Julius & Theodor Reitlinger purchased it from this company and modernised it.
The company remained a possession of the family until 1938, when the son of Julius Reitlinger, Friedrich Reitlinger, committed suicide due to the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
(the merging of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria) in 1938. Afterwards it was taken over by the state and later resold to Ernst Heinkel
Ernst Heinkel
Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft...
(Aryanization
Aryanization
Aryanization is a term coined during Nazism referring to the forced expulsion of so-called "non-Aryans", mainly Jews, from business life in Nazi Germany and the territories it controlled....
). After 1945 the company was not restituted to its former owners, but remained under public administration.
In February 1945 31 tons of bombs were cast upon the railway station during the Operation Clarion
Operation Clarion
Operation Clarion was an Allied campaign of Strategic bombing during World War II which attacked 200 Nazi Germany communication network targets to open Operation Veritable/Grenade....
in order to prevent the Reichsbahn from transporting war-material. This was necessary for the impeding invasion of Germany and Austria.
The air attack on Jenbach destroyed 35 houses and left 8 people dead.
During the war the Heinkel-factories produced motors for the Me-163, the first engine-powered airplane, and other parts for the V2-missiles fired at southern English cities during the summer of 1940.
In April and May, remainders of SS-units, among them the main staff of the SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, withdrew from the quickly advancing French units commanded by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, to Tyrol, where Nazi propaganda had virtually inscenerated a "fortress in the Alps". SS-commanders ecouraged their soldiers to fight "to the last bullet".
Direct infenteristic confrontations were rare, as the SS could be convinced of the better: On 2 May, they withdrew to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, leaving an amount of weaponry in the Achensee
Achensee
The Achensee is a lake north of Jenbach in Tyrol, Austria. It is the largest lake within the federal state, and has a maximal depth of 133 metres. Together with the Achental valley it parts the Karwendel mountain range in the west from the Brandenberg Alps in the east.Water quality is near drinking...
. Mayor Somweber and a lieutenant of the Austrian resistance
Austrian resistance
The Austrian resistance to the Nazi rule that started with the Anschluss in 1938 had a prehistory of socialist and communist activism against the era of Austrofascism from 1934. These activists, limited primarily to adherents of the political far left, operated in isolation from the Austrian...
, Nentwich, negotiated with both, the SS and the allies, to withdraw and not to air raid Jenbach anymore.
Today the GE Jenbacher AG is the word-leading company in the production of gas-engined motors.
Economy
Jenbach is an economically significant place due to the companies situated there:GE Jenbacher, Siko Solar, TIWAG, Katzenberger, Gubert, and Holz Binder.
During the 20th century, the Jenbacher Werke produced waggons, locomotives, motors and other goods.
The Kasbach serves as a source of energy for several smaller water plants.
Jenbach also has a highschool specialised in mechanical and economical engineering.
Transport
The railway station of Jenbach contains three different railways:- The ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen)
- The Achenseebahn
- The Zillertalbahn
Jenbach also has - due to its infrastructural importance - the only railway station in all of Austria, in which trains of all three types stop.
Sources
- Thomas Albrich/Arno Giesinger: Im Bombenkrieg, Tirol und Vorarlberg, 1943–1945, Seite 244
- Gemeindechronik von Jenbach
- History of Jenbach
- Local tourism information site