St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut#

St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, Upper Austria, market town in the district of Gmunden, alt. 548 m, pop. 2,708, area 56.55 km2, summer tourist resort (439,292 overnight stays in 1992) with a lakeshore bathing area and a climatic health resort on Lake Wolfgangsee; ship landing stage. - Auhof educational centre, federal institute for adult education, provincial recreation centre, Christian recreational centre, federal teacher training college, summer seminar of the University of Vienna, Schwarzensee and Weinbach power plants, Schafberg mountain rack railway. The hotel "Im Weissen Roessl", which owes its fame to the operetta of the same name by R. Benatzky (1930) and the film of the operetta, is located here; Benatzky and the actor E. Jannings are buried in the local cemetery. In the 13th , 14th and 15th centuries St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut was a centre of Christian pilgrimage to the memorials of St. Wolfgang. Formerly belonging to Bavaria, it came into Austrian possession in 1506. - Parish church (first documented mention in 1180, completed in 1414 and renewed in the mid- 15th century), beautiful late Gothic winged altar (1471-1481) by M. Pacher, main work of Pacher and the most important Gothic winged altar in Central Europe, series of paintings on the wings, group of carved figures depicting the crowning of the Virgin Mary; Baroque double altar by T. Schwanthaler (1675), Schwanthaler´s most important work; other Baroque altars (around 1700) and statues by M. Guggenbichler; pilgrimage fountain (1515) by L. Raennacher and P. Muelich; cemetery chapel (1685-1688); former presbytery (with late Gothic core), now a mansion, 1695-1697, remodelled by L. Endthofer.

Literature#