St. Gilgen
Template:Infobox Ort in Österreich
Sankt Gilgen is a picturesque village by the Wolfgangsee in the Austrian state of Salzburg, in the "Salzkammergut" region.
History
In the year 1376 Sankt Gilgen was first mentioned in documents. 1873 the shipping on the Wolfgangsee started and so did the tourism too. Also the construction of the Salzkammergut-Lokalbahn in the year 1893 was a reason for the upcoming tourism. Many rich Viennese had their summer villas there such as the surgeon Theodor Billroth.
Geography
Sankt Gilgen is situated in the north-western shore of the lake Wolfgangsee, close to Strobl and to the Upper Austrian municipality of St. Wolfgang. It has 3,784 inhabitants, lies 545 metres above sea level and covers an area of 98.67 square kilometres.
Overview
The parish church is dedicated to Saint Aegidius (Latin), in English Saint Giles, which is reflected in the name of the town, Sankt Gilgen.
St. Gilgen is a well-known travel destination. Boats from St. Gilgen sail around the Wolfgangsee, providing transport and views of the surrounding mountains. The hermitage of the original St. Gilgen may be seen, behind a chapel, in the Falkenstein cliffs west of St. Wolfgang and east of Fürberg.
In 2005 St. Gilgen was promoted as the "Mozart Village" by the Wolfgangsee Tourist Board. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart never visited St. Gilgen (as he had intended to), his grandfather worked in the town, his mother was born in St. Gilgen, and his sister Nannerl moved there after her marriage. The village now boasts a first-class international school, the St. Gilgen International School.
Notable people
- Anna Maria Walburga Pertl (1720–1778), mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- August Brunetti-Pisano (1870–1943), composer
- Michael Jeannée (b. 1943), journalist
- Miguel Herz-Kestranek (b. 1948), actor
- Hubert Raudaschl (b. 1942), sailboat manufacturer and former olympic athlete
- Helmut Kohl (b. 1930), the former German Chancellor resides in the town during summer.
See also
References
External links
