Abtenau is an Austrian market town in the district of Hallein (state of Salzburg) with 5894 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2022).
Parish Church of St. Blasius
In the eastern part of Abtenau is
the parish church of St. Blasius, which is the main attraction of
this village. It arose on the site where the chapel of St. Anne was
previously located. Today the Abtenau parish numbers 5,200 Catholics
living directly in Abtenau, as well as in Weitenau, Wallengwinkel
and Scheffau am Tennengebirge.
The first written mention of
the church in Abtenau dates back to 1191. In 1313, the building was
rebuilt and acquired its modern shape. As a result of one of the
many peasant wars that raged here at the beginning of the 16th
century, the church of St. Blasius fell victim to a fire in 1525 -
according to eyewitnesses, the building “became black as a hearth”.
By a great accident, the fire spared the organ, installed just 7
years earlier, in 1518. Almost immediately, work began to restore
the church, and already in 1540 it regained its former appearance.
The architectural style of the Abtenau temple is usually
attributed to the late Gothic period, although some parts of the
building were rebuilt during the Baroque period. The main altar is
decorated with sculptures by master Simeon Friz. In the center is
the figure of the Virgin Mary with the Child, surrounded by Saints
Ruppert, Blasius and Maximilian.
The left altar is considered
a symbol of brotherhood and is decorated with a painting by Simon
Stock, painted in 1684, depicting a vision of Saint Teresa in which
the Virgin Mary appeared to her. And the right one, also called the
family one, is decorated with the image of the Holy Family at the
moment when the angel persuades Joseph to heed the danger and run
away with his wife and child.
The walls of the central tower
in 1939 were decorated with frescoes on the theme of the Solomon's
court, painted in 1540, and in the right wing of the church, a stone
with an imprint of the Hand of God was embedded in the wall.
Early Settlement and Christianization (6th–12th Centuries)
The
history of Abtenau begins in the 6th century AD with the arrival of
Bavarian settlers in the region, including what would become
Abtenau, Annaberg, and Russbach. These early inhabitants cleared and
populated the forested valleys of the Lammertal, establishing
agricultural communities in a rugged alpine landscape.
Christianization followed around 700 AD, led by St. Rupert, the
patron saint of Salzburg, who evangelized the area and integrated it
into the emerging ecclesiastical structures of the region. By around
1100, settlement intensified, with the wide forest valleys being
actively colonized, setting the stage for Abtenau's growth.
A
pivotal moment came in 1124 when Archbishop Konrad I of Salzburg
granted lands on the left bank of the Lammer River to the St. Peter
Monastery in Salzburg, while retaining the right bank for the
archdiocese. This division established the monastery's enduring
influence, as it still owns forest and agricultural lands in the
Lammertal today. In the second half of the 12th century, the first
church in Abtenau was constructed under Archbishop Konrad III,
marking the town's early religious center and foreshadowing its role
as a parish hub.
The early settlers, arriving from the direction
of Golling via the Strubberg pass, initially established themselves
in the Au district near the Dachserfall waterfall. This area, known
as the "cradle of Abtenau," formed the village's core, with its
fertile grounds supporting initial farming and community
development.
Medieval Development and Market Status
(13th–16th Centuries)
By around 1350, settlement in Abtenau was
largely complete, with an estimated 3,000 residents. The town was
administered by a high ducal land court that oversaw both the
archbishop's properties and the St. Peter Monastery's holdings. The
monastery established a mother parish here, solidifying Abtenau's
administrative and spiritual importance. Taxes during this period
primarily consisted of agricultural products like cheese, clarified
butter, and grain, with tithes directed to the church, reflecting
the agrarian economy.
In 1507, Archbishop Leonhardt von
Keutschach elevated Abtenau to market town status, granting it
market rights, civil liberties, and the ability to conduct trade,
business, and an annual fair on Maximiliantag (St. Maximilian's
Day). This marked a significant economic boost, fostering commerce
in the valley. During the Peasant Wars of 1525–1526, Abtenau played
a minor role, but the era saw the construction of a separate
courthouse, enhancing local governance.
A notable cultural
achievement was the completion of the Abtenau Altar in 1518, crafted
by sculptor Andreas Lackner in collaboration with painter Ulrich
Bocksberger. This high altar for the parish church of St. Blaise
featured intricately carved and gilded figures of Saints Blaise,
Rupert, and Maximilian, exemplifying the Danube School style with
realistic expressions and elaborate robes influenced by Bavarian
master Hans Leinberger. Though the altar's structural elements are
lost, surviving pieces—now housed in Vienna's Belvedere Museum,
Salzburg's St. Peter’s Abbey, and the Salzburg Museum—highlight
Abtenau's Renaissance artistic heritage and religious devotion.
Around 1600, the first school was founded by the St. Peter
Monastery on a private basis, funded by fees and sponsorships. This
initiative stemmed from post-Reformation needs to educate locals in
reading the Bible and catechism, following the Council of Trent's
directives.
Early Modern Period and Incorporation into Austria
(17th–19th Centuries)
The 17th and 18th centuries were marked by
continuity in ecclesiastical and agrarian life, though the region
faced broader European conflicts. In 1803, the spiritual
principality of Salzburg was secularized and abolished amid the
Napoleonic Wars. Abtenau became involved in military actions in 1809
during these wars. By 1816, the Salzburg region, including Abtenau,
was fully incorporated into the Austrian Empire, ending its
semi-independent status under the archbishopric.
The Revolutions
of 1848 brought significant reforms: the dissolution of feudal
landlord systems (known as peasant liberation) led to the
establishment of modern municipalities, including Abtenau and
neighboring Annaberg within a new judicial district. This era
ushered in greater local autonomy. On August 1, 1850, a post office
was set up in Abtenau, with mail delivered by horse, improving
connectivity. The market square's layout from this time persists,
with the church, rectory, and cemetery on one side and inns on the
other, reflecting a division between sacred and secular spaces.
20th Century to Present: Tourism and Modern Development
The
early 20th century saw Abtenau weather the World Wars, with
post-World War II recovery focusing on tourism. The "Summer retreat"
concept emerged, attracting visitors to the idyllic Lammertal for
relaxation amid its natural beauty. The rise of alpine skiing in the
mid-20th century elevated winter tourism, making Abtenau a
year-round destination.
The municipality
is located in the Lammertal in the Tennengau of the Salzburg region,
about 45 km south of
Salzburg.
The
community includes the entire middle valley of the Lammer, from the
narrow point at Wallingwinkl (above the Lammeröfen), with the lower
Aubach as the border, to the narrow point at the Stümmelleitgraben
between the Schober (1791 m above sea level) of the Tennengebirge
and the Zwieselalm of the Dachstein massif. The main settlement area
is the Abtenau basin, the actual Abtenau area is on the Klausgraben,
to the left south of the Lammer, on a plateau 100 meters above the
Lammer.
In the north, the municipal area extends to the main
ridge of the Osterhorn group of the Salzburg Prealps and
Salzkammergut mountains, from the Gruberhorn (1,732 m above sea
level) to the Braunedlkogel (1,894 m above sea level), including
part of the Postalm region. In the southwest, the entire
north-eastern Tennengebirge is part of it, up to the Scheiblingkogel
(2289 m above sea level) and Bleikogel (2411 m above sea level). In
the south-east, the Gosaukamm, the north-west foothills of the
Dachstein massif, forms the border with Upper Austria, with the
Törleck (1618 m above sea level) at the Gablonzer Hütte forming the
corner. On the Rußbach in the direction of Pass Gschütt, the border
is on the Walchenbach–Knablbach line before the Rußbach valley
widens.
The community consists of
the nine cadastral communities of Abtenau Dorf, Abtenau Markt,
Fischbach, Leitenhaus, Rigaus, Schorn, Seetratten, Seidegg and
Unterberg.
The municipal area includes the following 23
localities (number of inhabitants in brackets as of January 1,
2022):
Abtenau (1205)
Au (531)
Dollerhof (440)
Erlfeld
(157)
Fischbach (435)
Gseng (23)
Reverb Sides (46)
Kehlhof (493)
Leitenhaus (158)
Lindenthal (500)
Moselberg
(101)
Pich (475)
Rigau (216)
Salfelden (77)
Schorn (289)
Schrats (128)
Sea Rats (101)
Seydegg (23)
Sticker (136)
Unterberg (49)
Wagner (109)
Waldhof (171)
Wegscheid (42)
Of the 321 farms in 2010, 133 were run as a main occupation, 164 as a sideline and 24 by legal entities. These 24 farmed ninety percent of the land. In the production sector, almost two-thirds of those employed worked in the manufacture of goods, and almost thirty percent worked in construction. The largest employers in the service sector were trade and social and public services, each with 330 employees (as of 2011).
Of the almost 3,000 employed people who lived in Abtenau in 2011, around 60 percent worked in the community and 40 percent commuted out. More than 700 people from the surrounding area came to work in Abtenau.
In the years 2010 to 2019, Abtenau counted around 220,000 overnight stays per year. The winter season peaks in February with 34,000 overnight stays. The months of July and August each have over 32,000 overnight stays (as of 2019).
elementary school market
Elementary school
in Radochsberg
Voglau elementary school
New middle school in
Abtenau
Polytechnic School
Special Education Center Abtenau