Pürgg-Trautenfels
Encyclopedia
Pürgg-Trautenfels is a municipality in the district of Liezen
in Styria, Austria
.
and Stainach
. The municipal area is bordered in the south by the Enns; in the north it stretches right up to the main ridge Toten Gebirges
(Almkogel, 2,116m elevation). The highest point of the municipality is the Grimming (2,351 m) in the west.
, situated directly on the Enns. The castle is on a small hill which towers about 30 meters above the valley floor. In 1261 it was called a castle (Burg) for the first time. In the baroque era it was given its present appearance by Friedrich von Trauttmannsdorf. Today it is in the possession of the Austria
n Federal State of Styria and is managed by the Universalmuseum Joanneum as a museum and exhibition center. Among other facilities it boasts a regional landscape
and folk culture
museum.
Few meters to the west of the castle, on the same ridge, there lie the ruins of the Protestant church Neuhaus. This was, at the time of the Reformation
, the most significant religious center in the Upper Ennstal Valley. The church was established by the castle owners in Trautenfels. But soon she fell victim to the Counter-Reformation
. In 1991 the remnants of the building were exposed and furnished as a memorial.
and the Niedere Tauern
to the south. In the Wörschachwald is a small ski resort
and the Spechtensee
lake, a popular tourist destination.
Liezen (district)
Bezirk Liezen is a district of the state of Styria in Austria.It is by far the largest district in Austria, about three times the size of other large districts, and is divided into three "subdistricts":...
in Styria, 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...
.
Geography
Pürgg-Trautenfels lies in valley of the upper Ennstal between GröbmingGröbming
Gröbming is a municipality in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria....
and Stainach
Stainach
Stainach is a municipality in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria....
. The municipal area is bordered in the south by the Enns; in the north it stretches right up to the main ridge Toten Gebirges
Totes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name Totes Gebirge is derived from the German words tot meaning "dead", referring to the apparent lack of vegetation, and Gebirge meaning "mountain...
(Almkogel, 2,116m elevation). The highest point of the municipality is the Grimming (2,351 m) in the west.
Pürgg
The village of Pürgg lies on a small plateau in the south face of the Rantensteins, about 150 m above the valley floor of the brook Grimmingbach. The village has a few narrow streets which are largely for pedestrian traffic only. The houses are nestled around two churches.- Pfarrkirche zum Heiligen Georg (Church of St. George): Romanesque churchRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
which was established, presumably, on the 17th July 1130. The three-nave church is still standing in its basic structure, however, it was decorated at the beginning of 14th century in the GothicGothic artGothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
style. - Johanneskapelle (Chapel of St. John): RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
chapel, on the eastern edge of the plateau is situated on a nice vantage point. This chapel is famous for her frescoes from the 12th century which count among most beautiful and well preserved in Europe.
Trautenfels
The village of Trautenfels is a small settlement around the Schloss TrautenfelsSchloss Trautenfels
Trautenfels Castle is located in the district of Liezen in Styria. It lies directly on the Enns at 673m in the municipality Pürgg-Trautenfels on a cliff protrusion at the foot of the Grimming.- History :...
, situated directly on the Enns. The castle is on a small hill which towers about 30 meters above the valley floor. In 1261 it was called a castle (Burg) for the first time. In the baroque era it was given its present appearance by Friedrich von Trauttmannsdorf. Today it is in the possession of the 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...
n Federal State of Styria and is managed by the Universalmuseum Joanneum as a museum and exhibition center. Among other facilities it boasts a regional landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
and folk culture
Folk culture
Folk culture refers to the lifestyle of a culture. Historically, handed down through oral tradition, it demonstrates the "old ways" over novelty and relates to a sense of community. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place...
museum.
Few meters to the west of the castle, on the same ridge, there lie the ruins of the Protestant church Neuhaus. This was, at the time of the Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
, the most significant religious center in the Upper Ennstal Valley. The church was established by the castle owners in Trautenfels. But soon she fell victim to the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. In 1991 the remnants of the building were exposed and furnished as a memorial.
Economy
Trautenfels Castle and the picturesque village of Pürgg attract numerous tourists and day trippers. The region is also popular with climbers, who set out from here on mountain tours to the Grimming, into the Totes GebirgeTotes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name Totes Gebirge is derived from the German words tot meaning "dead", referring to the apparent lack of vegetation, and Gebirge meaning "mountain...
and the Niedere Tauern
Niedere Tauern
The Niedere Tauern or Low Tauern are a mountain range in central Austria, part of the Central Eastern Alps. They lie on the main chain of the Alps in in the states of Salzburger Land and Styria...
to the south. In the Wörschachwald is a small ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
and the Spechtensee
Spechtensee
The Spechtensee is a lake on the southern edge of the Totes Gebirge mountains in Austria in the parish of Pürgg-Trautenfels near Wörschachwald. The lake is named after the Specht family who were formerly resident in Stainach and who lived on the so-called Specht Estate until the end of the 19th...
lake, a popular tourist destination.