Matrei am Brenner#

Matrei am Brenner, Tirol, market town in the district of Innsbruck-Land, alt. 992 m, pop. 999, area 0.36 km2, situated west of the River Sill; consists of a historical centre and a more recently built part ("Markt"). - Counselling centre, sports grounds, recreation area, adult education centre, Brennerwerk power station (built in 1898, 7.7 megawatts), manufacture of electrical appliances, tourism (31,022 overnight stays). - Archeological finds dating from the late Bronze Age and the period of the Hallstatt Civilization (e.g. situla or bucket dating form the Bronze Age), Roman settlement and horse-pond "Matreium"; around 1200 Matrei am Brenner became a market town. It was heavily bombed in 1945, but was rebuilt in the typical style of the region. The site of the Late Gothic parish church (redesigned around 1470) served as a meeting place for members of the early Christian community of Matrei am Brenner. According to designs by J. A. Moelk, the church was altered in Baroque style between 1754 and 1755. Moelk also created the ceiling frescoes and the altar-pieces; Late Gothic fragments of frescoes beside the porch, Romanesque south tower with louver windows. Late Gothic graveyard chapel (1509-1521); Baroque church (Spitalskirche, 1644-1646) with a Neo-Romanesque interior and Early Historicist altars; ruins of Matrei am Brenner Castle (first documented mention in 1209, heavily damaged in 1945); old gabled houses (some of which are built in a style prevalent around 1500) ornamented with decorative frescoes, Classicist tavern signs.

Literature#