Mariapfarr#

Mariapfarr, province of Salzburg, municipality in the district of Tamsweg, alt. 1,119 m, pop. 2,290, area 47.33 km2, bi-seasonal tourist resort (194,353 overnight stays) on the slopes bordering the Taurach Valley to the south; situated between the market towns of Tamsweg and Mauterndorf in the Lungau (one of Salzburg´s five main regions); Austrian village with the highest rate of sunshine; sports centre. - Earliest Christian community in the Lungau; first documented mention as "ecclesia ad Lungouue" in 923. Gothic parish church, 14th century choir, nave (1446), choir tower which burnt down in 1854 and was rebuilt in the Gothic style, Late Romanesque and Gothic frescoes painted on the walls of the choir and the tower (depicting the Madonna of Mercy), high altar (1897, into which parts of a Late Gothic winged altar (around 1500) were integrated), Niederrain Palace (1536); ruins of Pichl Castle and Groebendorf Castle; farmhouses (Einhof, Paarhof and Gruppenhof types) typical of the region; granaries with painted façades. Custom: Samson Procession (procession of a person dressed up as a giant (sometimes accompanied by two dwarfs) which is held on the occasion of Corpus Christi and other religious festivals).

Literature#