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'Zell am See' is a lakeside winter ski resort in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the Zell am See district (''Bezirk''), also known as Pinzgau. Zell am See is located at , on the Zeller See, and has a population of 9,638 (2001).

Contents

Geography

Geographical location

History

Timeline

Buildings and sights

Coat of arms

Education

External links

Geography

Geographical location

Zell is located on a large lake - the Zeller See - which is 4.5 km long and 850 to 1400 m wide, with an area of 4.7 sq.km and a depth up to 68 m. It is backed by the 2000m (6560ft)Schmittenhohe mountain. A cable car runs from the outskirts of the town to the summit, where there is a restaurant.

History

Zell am See was already populated in Roman times. In 740 AD, by order of the Archbishop Johannes (John) of Salzburg, monks founded the village "Cella in Bisonzio". Zell received the rights of a market town in 1357, and its city rights on January 24 1928.

Timeline

★ 1868 - Foundation of the Voluntary Firefighters

★ 1875, July 30 - Railway opening (Giselabahn), start of tourism in the summer months

★ 1879, July 15 - Opening of the Hotel "Elisabeth"

★ 1881 - Start of steam navigation with boat "Elisabeth" on the lake

★ 1885 - Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) visits the Schmittenhöhe (mountain)

★ 1887 - The Municipality takes over the ship navigation on the Zeller Lake

★ 1893 - Visit of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I

★ 1894 - A landmark of the town - das Grand Hotel - is built

★ 1898 - Business start of the Pinzgau Local Railway (Pinzgauer Lokalbahn)

★ 1906 - Foundation of the Skiing Club Zell am See; first winter sports festival

★ 1906 and 1910 - Acquisition of electric motor boats, end of steam ship navigation

★ 1914 - Railway track becomes double tracked

★ 1924 - A light plane lands on the sheet of ice of the Zeller Lake

★ 1928 - Construction of the tennis courts (used for ice-skating and ice-hockey in winter)

★ 1928, January 25 - Commissioning of the Schmittenhöhebahn (up to the Schmitten mountain)

★ 1928 - Foundation of a chapter of the Austrian Aeronautical Association (Österr. Flugtechnischer Verein)

★ 1930 - Opening of the Hauptschule (like Secondary Modern School)

★ 1937, February 5 - Academic World Wintergames

★ 1945 - City serves as a base for Company "E" of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division.

★ 1952, May 8 - Opening of the Alpine Gliding School

★ 1959, May 15 - Opening of Airport Zell

★ 1961 - Zell receives the status of a climatic spa

★ 1966 - Serious damage due to thunderstorms, the River Schmitten overflows its banks

★ 1968 - Construction of the Spa- and Sportcenter and foundation of the Europe Sports Region

★ 1973 - Ski-Worldcup (December 12th to December 20th)

★ 1975 - Rosenberg Castle (16th century) becomes the town hall

★ 1976 - Opening of the new hospital

★ 1977 - Commissioning of the one-rope chairlift "Zeller Bergbahn"

★ 1979 - Consecration of the pedestrian area

★ 1979 - Worldcup Downhill Women

★ 1981 - Honorary citizen/Dr.h.c.Ferdinand Porsche

★ 1981 - Honorary citizen/Commercial Council Dr.h.c. Louise Piech-Porsche

★ 1996 - Opening of the road tunnel (Schmittentunnel 5110 m)

★ 2000 - Award ceremony of the Sydney Olympia winners Steinacher + Hagara (Tornado-Sailing)

★ 2004 - Award ceremony of the Athens Olympia winners Steinacher + Hagara (Tornado-Sailing)

★ 2005 - Christening of the third ship on the Zeller Lake, the "Schmittenhöhe)
''(Source: Custos Cav. H. Scholz)''

Buildings and sights

'St. Hippolyte's Church'
Within this church are the oldest known building remnants of the Pinzgau. The church is build in a mostly Romanesque style and consist of three naves. Before 1794 the central nave was crowned with a Gothic vault, but in that year it was replaced with another vault, which in turn was replaced by a flat wooden roof in 1898. 4 steps lead up to the main altar, but the crypt has been filled in. The narthex and aisles are still Gothic, but some of the other Gothic objects (like the neogothic altars by Josef Bachlehner) were added during the renovation in 1898, when also the baroque furnishings of preceding centuries were removed.
The highpoint of the church is its elevated walkway with its ornate parapet, build in 1514. The walkway rests on four differently carved columns of precious marble, in between which an intricate net-vault is spun. The three pointed arches are crowned with a number of crockets, and end in pointed towers. In between the arches are gothic baldachins with cut-out figures of St. Hippolyte and St. Florian, originating from 1520.
The tower is the main focus of the Zell am See skyline. It has a height of 36 meters. The strong walls have a limestone exterior.
From 1660 until 1670, the main altar was replaced by a baroque one, which was removed again in 1760. Almost none of the baroque furnishings of the church remain apart from some adornments. Two baroque statues ended up in the church of Prielau. Currently visible next to the main altar are two statues dating from 1480: St. Rupert and Vigil. The side altar contains an image of the Virgin Mary from the now non-existent Church of Maria Wald, which dates from 1540. The left nave has a small altar dedicated to St. Sebastian in its apsis.

Coat of arms

Zell am See Coat of Arms
Alongside the Coat of Arms, the municipality uses a flag with the colors white-red-white.

Education

In Zell am See there are 3 Elementary Schools, one Hauptschule (like Secondary Modern School), one Special School, one Vocational School, one Grammar School, one Commercial Academy and a Commercial School:

★ Volksschule Zell am See

★ Volksschule Schüttdorf

★ Volksschule Thumersbach

★ Hauptschule Zell am See

★ Allgemeine Sonderschule

★ Polytechnische Schule Zell am See

★ Landesberufsschule Zell am See

★ Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Zell am See

★ Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule

External links

★ Europasportregion Zell am See - Kaprun