Zell am See is the capital of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is the second largest city in the Pinzgau with about 10,000 inhabitants. Zell am See is a tourist destination and a transportation hub for the region. If you are skiing, the Postbus service is free with your lift pass.
This links the town with the ski station and other areas, such as Kaprun. The Zeller basin is a corridor between the Saalach and the Salzach. The lake is the 68 meters deep Zeller See (Lake Zeller), with the old town in the west, Thumersbach in the east, Erlberg in the Southeast and Schüttdorf in the south.
Zell am See is at the foot of some fine ski slopes. During the summer, the lake offers some activities too, in addition to mountain walks.
The original ZellerSee was further to the north and the south to the Salzach but has changed over time into marsh areas. The lake has the shape of a peanut, with an area of 4.7 square kilometers.
The “Hausberg” of Zell am See is the Schmittenhöhe, is a mountain in the greywacke zone (including Gross Pinzgauer mountains), which is mainly used for winter sports. The “Hundstein” at 2,117 meters is the highest peak of the Salzburg slate Alps. The mountains are mainly forested or agricultural fields.
St. Hippolyte’s Church, this church are the oldest known building remnants of the Pinzgau. The church is build in a mostly Romanesque style and consist of three naves. Before 1794 the central nave was crowned with a Gothic vault, but in that year it was replaced with another vault, which in turn was replaced by a flat wooden roof in 1898. Four steps lead up to the main altar, but the crypt has been filled in.
The narthex and aisles are still Gothic, but some of the other Gothic objects (like the neogothic altars by Josef Bachlehner) were added during the renovation in 1898, when also the baroque furnishings of preceding centuries were removed.
The highpoint of the church is its elevated walkway with its ornate parapet, build in 1514. The walkway rests on four carved columns of precious marble, in between which an intricate net-vault is spun. The three pointed arches are crowned with crockets, and end in pointed towers. Between the arches are Gothic baldachins with cut-out figures of St. Hippolyte and St. Florian, originating from 1520.
The tower is the main focus of the Zell am See skyline. It has a height of 36 meters. The strong walls have a limestone exterior. From 1660 until 1670, the main altar was replaced by a Baroque one, which was removed again in 1760. Almost none of the Baroque furnishings of the church remain apart from some adornments. Two Baroque statues ended up in the church of Prielau.
Next to the main altar are two statues dating from 1480: St. Rupert and St. Vigilius. The side altar contains an image of the Virgin Mary from the now non-existent Church of Maria Wald, which dates from 1540. The left nave has a small altar dedicated to St. Sebastian in its apsis.
Leave a Reply