History Of Krimml
Prehistory and early history up to antiquity
Based on evidence from this time, the late Bronze Age and the early Hallstatt period, the prehistory and early history of Krimml show indications of habitation dating back to the early bronze age. It is difficult to determine the lifespan of these early communities. The region experienced a cultural shift towards a Celtic influence around the 7th and 6th centuries BC, thus linking prehistory with the historic age.
Around 200 BC, the Celtic Ambisonten tribe lived in the Pinzgau region, including Krimml. Emerging from interaction with the Romans, the Kingdom of Noricum was an alliance of Celtic peoples. The Romans enslaved the Alpine Celts, including the Ambisontes, in 15 BC. Noricum joined the Roman Empire in 10 BC, thereby absorbing the transalpine Celts into Roman society. The use of the Krimml Tauern as a place of passage dates back to these Roman times, when products and cultural influences traveled through the region.
Roman influence lasted 500 years; The Germanic peoples called the Celts of the region “Romans” or “Walchen”. Noricum became a Roman province under Claudius, with administrative links to the outskirts of Krimml. Although the current municipality shows no signs of permanent Celtic or Roman communities, Krimml was at that time a rather important means of transport to the neighboring Ahrntal valley.
Notable remains of a Roman road leading to the Krimml Tauern are discussed and the importance of the area as a rest area before the Tauern is emphasized. Sparse villages with traces of an estate were seen in today’s Bramberg region in Weyer. Most vulnerable domains and settlements were abandoned as Alemanni and other Germanic tribal raids became more frequent. Germanic records indicate that although minor groups known as the Romanians and Walchens remained in the region, the population of Ufernoricum was evacuated and transferred to Italy in 449. This historical summary reveals the changing dynamics cultural and geopolitical relevance of Krimml from prehistory to Roman times.
Middle Ages
The Bavarians had a great impact on the linguistic and cultural fabric of the region after the Celtic and Roman periods. But in the early stages of their conquest, the Inner Mountains – including Krimml – did not attract much general habitation. This void would be filled in 1100 AD when the Counts of Lechsgemünd received the Duchy of Bavaria, thus transforming their country. The direct results of population growth have been a boom in land reclamation and deforestation in Upper Pinzgau.
Under the leadership of Archbishop Eberhard II von Regensberg, Oberpinzgau was included in the Archdiocese of Salzburg, marking a change of power. Although there are few relics from the Middle Ages, the Krimml parish church, registered in 1244, is among the oldest in Pinzgau. Examination of the annual tax paid on Valais wine from the Raitenhaslach monastery reveals the great importance of the Tauern Pass for trade, proof of the economic currents that flow through Krimml.
The 14th century marks a turning point. Records kept by the archbishop show that Krimml had twelve domiciles. For artists, traders (especially those involved in the wine and livestock trade) and farmers who crossed the Krimml Achental with their livestock during the summer, the crossing to the neighboring Ahrntal valley, which extends over what is now South Tyrol, was vital. The Krimml Tauernhaus, recorded as a vital stopover before entering Tyrolean territory in 1389, remains in particular an inn and snack bar, a physical link to the historical importance of Krimml as a facilitator of trade and travel .
Modern times
Krimml was no exception; the Reformation and later the peasant wars resonated even in remote areas of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Carefully recording which households and strongholds in Krimml accepted Protestantism, the chronicle of local priest Josef Lahnsteiner includes. Their dedication to the principles of the Reformation ultimately resulted in the exile of those who would not renounce.
Until its independence as a vicariate in 1784, Krimml essentially belonged to a changing collection of nations. This era finds its expression in the description of Lorenz Hübner in 1796. He presents a living society, a happy people of three hundred souls characterized by an active social life.
A turning point came in 1803 when Salzburg was secularized after a millennium of spiritual monarchy. The area included the Electorate of Salzburg, the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Bavaria and the District of Salzach, among other government organizations. Krimml’s Anton Wallner notably became a local hero for his opposition to invading troops during Franco-Bavarian rule in 1809, a legacy still respected in the town today.
Salzburg was a province of Upper Austria from 1816 to 1849; Before the founding of the Crown Land of Salzburg (1849/50), Salzburg saw its strategic relevance change at this time as well. The split of the Zillertal in 1816 made the Gerlos Pass a key border crossing.
Until the end of the 19th century, Krimml’s economy was centered on cattle breeding and dairy products. But the young travel and climbing scene, as well as improved transportation, have marked a change. Ignaz von Kürsinger led the construction of a visitors’ cabin next to the lower waterfall in 1835 as well as trails. Faced with increased travel, the German and Austrian Alpine clubs worked in 1879 to build a road with bridges and observation posts.
The Pinzgau local railway, completed in 1898, connected Zell am See to Vorderkrimml. This brought a flood of people ready to see the waterfalls. This increase in tourism led to more construction, including the expansion of the waterfall trail by the Warnsdorf Alpine Club segment. The construction of numerous shelters and hostels bears witness to the flourishing tourist activity in the years preceding the First World War: railway restoration at Krimml station (1898), restoration of the Falkenstein (1899), hotel Krimmler Hof (1900), Filzstein inn at Hochkrimml (1901). ), and the Hotel zu den Krimmler Falls (1902).
Contemporary history
With 20 soldiers dead out of only 85 soldiers, the scars of the First World War remained strong in Krimml. With the growing emphasis on winter sports, the interwar period saw a continued shift from agriculture to tourism. A big step was taken with the opening of the Plattenhotel in 1932, but the global economic crisis and monetary limitations significantly reduced the number of visitors.
In the early 1930s, National Socialist appeal grew in Krimml, leading to a remarkable performance in the 1932 national elections. After the annexation of Austria, Krimml and Wald were consolidated into a single municipality (Krimml-Wald) in 1939, then divided again. during WWII. Townspeople and the Nazi government had a complex relationship with the opposing views expressed by Christian-social and bourgeois groups.
During the war, tourism stopped and hotels and inns were converted for different uses. Krimml notably housed a maternity ward for the National Socialist Volkswohrt and a rest home for German railway workers. High-ranking Nazis began hunting in the Krimmler Achental and the region hired foreign workers, including prisoners of war.
Ironically, wartime Krimml also participated in the refugee movement, notably Jewish refugees of 1947. Krimml, Salzburg’s only town in the American occupation zone, was a vital route for Jewish immigrants heading to Palestine via Italy. Their access to the Ahrntal region in South Tyrol was facilitated by the Krimmler Tauern pass.
With the economic boom that followed the war, travel resumed and there was a clear shift towards winter sports. Significant infrastructure developments like the Gerlos Alpine Road and the Durlaßboden Reservoir in the early 1960s significantly boosted local growth. The growth of the ski area began with the construction of ski lifts on the Gerlosplatte in 1963. The Zillertal Arena was created in 2003 from the merger of the surrounding ski areas. Projects such as the construction of an alpine town in Hochkrimml have further confirmed the region’s attractiveness for winter visitors.
World-renowned, the Krimml waterfalls were awarded the European Diploma for Protected Areas in 1967. Furthermore, the creation of the Hohe Tauern National Park in 1981 solidified the municipal character of the Krimml National Park and underlined its commitment to conservation. preservation of the environment.
