St. Gilgen (Central Bavarian: St. Gieng) is a village by Lake Wolfgang in the Austrian state of Salzburg, in the Salzkammergut region.

St. Gilgen
St. Gieng
Coat of arms of St. Gilgen
St. Gilgen is located in Salzburg
St. Gilgen
St. Gilgen
Location within Salzburg State
St. Gilgen is located in Austria
St. Gilgen
St. Gilgen
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 47°46′00″N 13°22′00″E / 47.76667°N 13.36667°E / 47.76667; 13.36667
Country Austria
StateSalzburg
DistrictSalzburg-Umgebung
Government
 • MayorOtto Kloiber (ÖVP)
Area
 • Total98.72 km2 (38.12 sq mi)
Elevation
545 m (1,788 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total3,915
 • Density40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
5340
Area code+43 6227
Vehicle registrationSL
Websitewww.gemgilgen.at

History

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Named after Saint Giles, St. Gilgen was first mentioned in documents in 1376. In 1863, shipping on Lake Wolfgang started and brought attention to the little village. The construction of the Salzkammergut-Lokalbahn in 1893 led to another increase in tourism. Rich Viennese, such as the surgeon Theodor Billroth, started to build summer residences there.

Geography

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St. Gilgen is situated in the north-western shore of the lake Wolfgangsee, close to Strobl and to the Upper Austrian municipality of St. Wolfgang. It has 3,784 inhabitants, lies 545 metres above sea level and covers an area of 98.67 square kilometres.

Overview

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The parish church is dedicated to Saint Aegidius (Latin), in English Saint Giles, which is reflected in the name of the town, Sankt Gilgen.

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. The village now boasts a first-class international school, the St. Gilgen International School.

The Gut Aich Priory (Benedictine) was founded in St. Gilgen in 1993.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Anatomy of Gratitude". Gratefulness.org. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  4. ^ "The Gift of Silence". Gratefulness.org. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
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