Bad Aussee: Difference between revisions

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Together with other Alpine towns Bad Aussee engages in the [[Alpine Town of the Year]] Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Bad Aussee was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2010.

Prehistoric artifacts were discovered in the nearby [[Salzofen cave|Salzofenhöhle]] cave. The town began to flourish in the [[Middle Ages]], when salt works started operating in the late thirteenth century. Bad Aussee was designated a market town in 1295. The [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] and late [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Stadtpfarrkirche St. Paul (''parish church'') dates from the thirteenth century and contains a Gothic Madonna from 1420. The sacrament house dates from 1523. The Spitalkirche (''hospital church'') on Meranplatz square was erected before 1395 and contains two Gothic altarpieces with movable wings from the fifteenth century and frescoes.

 

 

The town was built up and around the salt industry.

 

==Tourism==

 

 

==Lakes==

There are five lakes nearby Bad Aussee.

[[File:Altausseer See Sarstein.png|thumb|right|The Lake [[Altaussee]]]]

[[File:Grundlsee2.JPG|thumb|right|The Lake [[Grundlsee]]]]

 

 

Sommersbergersee is a smaller lake, which is not as deep as the other bodies of water in the region and is, as such, suitable for swimming at a much earlier date every year.

 

 

Toplitzsee, where the Nazis both tested weapons and allegedly dumped counterfeited currency, is the source of much local lore in the region. It is unique in that it has two layers of water, an upper one composed of fresh water and one beneath it made of salt water.

 

 

==Culture and traditions==

=== Fasching===

The biggest yearly event in Bad Aussee occurs on ''Faschingsdienstag'' ([[Shrove Tuesday]]), when the ''Flinserln'' dress up in sequined costumes and parade through town to announce the coming of spring. Children recite old rhymes to the Flinserln and are rewarded with nuts or sweets. The Flinserln are accompanied by the ''Zacharin'', who keep spectators in line by waving [[pig bladder]]s on the ends of sticks and occasionally rapping people on the head with them. The celebration is rounded off by the ''Trommelweiber'' (Drum Women). The Trommelweiber are a group of men dressed in women's nightgowns, who go from inn to inn banging on drums, pots and pans, and enjoy the free food and beer. According to the tale, the tradition of the Trommelweiber was initiated in the last century as a way for men who frequented pubs to poke fun at their wives: at the time, women were not allowed in such establishments and often resorted to banging on pots and pans outside of the premises in order to get their husbands to come out, come home and dry up. Inns, pubs and restaurants are heavily frequented during the ''Heilige Drei Faschingstage'' (the three 'holy' days of Fasching) by costumed revelers known as ''Maschgera''.

 

===Narzissenfest===

Bad Aussee's other major yearly event is the ''Narzissenfest'' (Narcissus Festival). Every spring, on the last weekend in May, participants construct massive floral sculptures made from daffodil blossoms, and parade them through town on large floats, accompanied by regional folk music. Some of these floral sculptures are later displayed along the shores of Grundlsee or Altausseersee, alternating from one year to the next.

 

===Glöckler und Berigeln===

Another local custom takes place on 5 January. During the day, children, called ''Glöckler'', go door to door with little bells and sacks and receive ''Faschingskrapfen'' (donuts), oranges, chocolate or nuts. In the evening, it's the adults' turn! They take to the streets dressed as ''Berigeln'', in raggedy traditional dress clothes, their faces covered with a black clothe mask. They carry with them large cow bells, with which they announce their arrival in front of those who open their homes to the Berigeln. Once the Berigeln enter a home, they refrain from speaking in order to conceal their identity. Usually the host tries to guess their identity, as they proceed to fill them up with home-made schnapps, beer, Faschingskrapfen, and other foods.

 

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==References==

{{reflist}}

 

==External links==

{{Wikivoyage|Bad Aussee}}

 

{{Liezen}}

 

[[Category:Spa towns in Austria]]