Thaur#

Thaur, Tirol, municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, alt. 633 m, pop. 3254, area 21.07 km2, located on top of an alluvial cone north of the River Inn, between Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol - Fish-breeding establishment of the Alpenzoo Innsbruck, Tertiary School Sisters, management and power-system control station of the TIWAG Tirolean Waterworks; industrial estate (esp. trade: cars, hardware, tubes, furniture warehouse and storage of propane gas), forwarding agents, printing works, publishing houses, construction industry, large-scale vegetable cultivation. - Burial grounds from the Bronze Age, first documented mention in 827 under the name of "Taurane", former seat of court, salt mining in the Middle Ages; late Gothic parish church (first mentioned in 1244, consecrated in 1487 and 1497), Baroque alterations in 1766, redecorated 1878-1880 (new ceiling frescoes), Baroque high altar with late Gothic Madonna (end of 15th century), 4 Rococo altars, frescoes depicting the 14 Auxiliary Saints; Romanesque filial church of St. Ulrich (altered in the 16th century) attached to St. Afrahof, with late Gothic apse painting, winged altar (around 1580), Gothic carved sculptures (2nd half of the 14th century); Baroque church of St. Virgil (built in 1643 by salt works´ authorities); Maria Loreto Chapel (1589); north of Thaur, Baroque pilgrimage church ("Romedikirchl", around 1779) with frescoes by F. and J. Giner, late Baroque altars and pulpit; old Mittertennhof farmsteads with gable girders, some with late Gothic oriels and porches; Thaur castle ruin (early 13th century). Thaur is a Christmas crib village ("Maxenbauerkrippe" crib with figures from the 17th century, "Thaur -type" cribs with figurines made of paper or wood, 18th /19th centuries). Vintl Alp plateau (alt. 1567 m) and Thaurer Rosskopf mountain (1574 m) nearby. - Local customs: "Palmesel" (Palm Donkey) Procession on Palm Sunday, Mullerlaufen. The protected pasque-flower grows on Castle Hill.

Literature#