Grossarl (Großarl) is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
in the
St. Johann im Pongau district
The Bezirk St. Johann im Pongau is an administrative district ('' Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pongau region.
Area of the district is 1,755.37 km2, with a population of 77,872 (May 15, 2001), ...
in the
state of Salzburg in western central
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. The valley Grossarltal got its name from Grossarl.
Geography
Location
The market town is located in the Grossarl Valley in
Pongau
The Bezirk St. Johann im Pongau is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pongau region.
Area of the district is 1,755.37 km2, with a population of 77,872 ...
, south of the city of
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
.
It is divided in the districts (north to south) Au ( AMSL), Schied (860 m), Unterberg (), Großarl (895 m) as well as Eben and Bach (900 m).
Politics
Local politics
Mayor is Johann Rohrmoser (
ÖVP
The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria.
Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...
), Vice Mayor is Johann Ganitzer (
SPÖ
The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...
).
Coat of arms
Grossarl got its coat of arms in 1965. It is a green uprooted
alder
Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
on white ground. The illustration of the alder accords to the old German name of the market town "Arla". In 1339, Grossarl was mentioned as the valley with "merern Arel", what means "many alders". The sign of the alder shows the big tree clearings in the valley from the 11th to the 13th century. It also shows the big meaning of the wood industry in the valley. Some people say that it is also a symbol for the attachment of the inhabitants to the valley and its leaves show many children which were born in Grossarl.
Economy and infrastructure
Grossarl is a very touristic oriented market town. The number of guest beds is at about 4,500 and it has hotels and hostels in all categories. Very impressive is the high density of 4-star hotels. Because of the 40 alpine cottages, Grossarl is also called "the valley of alpine cottages", in German "Das Tal der Almen".
Over the years, many small and medium enterprises settled down in the valley and became important employers for citizens of Grossarl (carpenter, bricklayer and earth-moving companies, etc.)
Prominent people
Notable citizens
*
Sebastian Gruber (*05. July 1995 in Schwarzach) paraglider
*
Edmund Entacher (* 30. September 1949 in Grossarl) General of the
Austrian Armed Forces
The Austrian Armed Forces () are the combined military forces of Austria.
The military consists of 16,000 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 1.0% of national GDP (including pensions) or €3.317 billion (20 ...
*
Anton Sauter (1800–1881), Botanist and Doctor, brother of
Ferdinand Sauter, founder of the corporation of Salzburgs regional and cultural studies
*
Ignatius Rieder (1858 Grossarl-1934 Salzburg), 1918-1934
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
*
Alois Rohrmoser
Alois Rohrmoser (July 11, 1932 in Grossarl, Austria, - April 2005 in Wagrain, Austria) is an Austrian entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of ...
(1932 Grossarl-2005
Wagrain), founder of the factory
Atomic Skis
*
(*1957), film director and scriptwriter
Personalities with connections to the village
*
Sepp Forcher (*17. December 1930
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
), Austrian TV presenter, 1955-1959 host on the Berglandhaus in Grossarl
References
External links
*
Cities and towns in St. Johann im Pongau District
{{Salzburg-geo-stub