Heiligenblut am Großglockner is an Austrian municipality with 997
inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) in the Spittal an der Drau
district in Carinthia.
Heiligenblut is a high alpine village
and is often visited as a starting point for visiting the Pasterze
and for climbing the Großglockner. Heiligenblut is the starting
point of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
According to
legend, the name "Heiligenblut" comes from a vial with the blood of
Christ, which Briccius (also Briktius, Brictius, Latin for
Friedrich), a Danish prince, was buried here by an avalanche on his
way back from Constantinople around 914 , in the calf to protect it
from predators. From the masses of snow under which he was buried,
three ears of wheat grew out, whereby his body and the blood relic
were found. When some farmers tried to bury him, one leg stubbornly
refused to stay underground. When the matter was investigated, the
small bottle was found, which has since been kept in the sacrament
house of the parish church of St. Vincent, which was built between
1460 and 1491. A request from the community of Heiligenblut to
canonize Briccius was never approved for lack of evidence, which did
not prevent the community from building its own crypt and an altar.
In addition to the predominant agriculture and alpine farming,
gold was mined in Heiligenblut until the 20th century.
The
high mountain region around Heiligenblut developed from the end of
the 19th century into a classic summer resort and from the 1930s
into a two-season tourist region. The Großglockner High Alpine Road,
opened in 1935 and whose southern starting point is Heiligenblut,
played a decisive role in this. Around the mountains Schareck (2606
m above sea level) and Gjaidtroghöhe (2988 m above sea level) above
the community a high alpine ski center with modern lifts between
1301 m above sea level was established. A. and 2900 m above sea
level A. erected.
Farbenstein castle ruins
Catholic parish church Heiligenblut
hl. Vinzenz: Located south below the town center on a slope, it is a
steeply rising Gothic building from the 15th century in its current
appearance. A chapel was first mentioned in a document as early as
1271; it was renewed from 1273 and completed in 1301. In the late
14th century, a new building was started, the choir was completed
around 1430. In 1909/11 the church was restored and equipped with
new furnishings and new windows. The high altar from 1520 shows the
coronation of Mariae at a height of 11 meters. He comes from the
Bolzano school, which is the successor to Michael Pacher.
Briccius Chapel near Heiligenblut
Briccius Chapel: The chapel is
located west of Winkl at an altitude of 1629 m. The small
rectangular building was built in 1872. Above the altar is a baroque
painting with 16 depictions from the Briccius legend.
Pockhorn
branch church
Aichhorn Chapel
Grossglockner High Alpine Road,
at 2504 m above sea level. A. one of the highest alpine passes in
the Eastern Alps.
Gold digging village Heiligenblut: The Tauern
area was the most productive gold mining area in Europe from Roman
times until World War II.
Apriacher Stockmühlen
Regional
customs
The Heiligenbluter Sternsingen was included in the
register of intangible cultural heritage in Austria in 2010.
According to legend, the name "Heiligenblut" comes from a vial
with the blood of Christ, which Briccius (also Briktius, Brictius,
Latin for Friedrich), a Danish prince, was buried here by an
avalanche on his way back from Constantinople around 914 , in the
calf to protect it from predators. From the masses of snow under
which he was buried, three ears of wheat grew out, whereby his body
and the blood relic were found. When some farmers tried to bury him,
one leg stubbornly refused to stay underground. When the matter was
investigated, the small bottle was found, which has since been kept
in the sacrament house of the parish church of St. Vincent, which
was built between 1460 and 1491. A request from the community of
Heiligenblut to canonize Briccius was never approved for lack of
evidence, which did not prevent the community from building its own
crypt and an altar.
In addition to the predominant
agriculture and alpine farming, gold was mined in Heiligenblut until
the 20th century.
The high mountain region around
Heiligenblut developed from the end of the 19th century into a
classic summer resort and from the 1930s into a two-season tourist
region. The Großglockner High Alpine Road, opened in 1935 and whose
southern starting point is Heiligenblut, played a decisive role in
this. Around the mountains Schareck (2606 m above sea level) and
Gjaidtroghöhe (2988 m above sea level) above the community a high
alpine ski center with modern lifts between 1301 m above sea level
was established. A. and 2900 m above sea level. A. erected.