St. Gilgen

 town, commune - administrative division

St. Gilgen is a picturesque village by the Wolfgangsee in the Austrian state of Salzburg, in the lake district "Salzkammergut" region. It has 3,382 inhabitants, lies at 545 metres above sea level and covers an area of 98.67 square kilometres.

St. Gilgen is a well-known travel destination. Boats from St. Gilgen sail around the Wolfgangsee, providing transport and views of the surrounding mountains. The hermitage of the original St. Gilgen may be seen, behind a chapel, in the Falkenstein cliffs west of St. Wolfgang and east of Fürberg.

In 2005 St. Gilgen was promoted as the "Mozart Village" by the Wolfgangsee Tourist Board. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart never visited St. Gilgen (as he had intended to), his grandfather worked in the town, his mother was born in St. Gilgen, and his sister Nannerl moved there after her marriage. In August 2008, the St. Gilgen International School is scheduled to open.

History

Personalities like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his mother Anna Maria Walburga Mozart, Maria von Ebner Eschenbach, the old german Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl and a lot of other important persons loved St.Gilgen. Culinary highlights, sportive activities, possibilities for making excursions, the unspoiled landscape,… St.Gilgen is worth visiting and offers a lot of surprises for young and old ones.

During World War II, a subcamp of Dachau concentration camp was located here.

websites:
* www.gemgilgen.at/
* www.wolfgangsee.at/