Lofer is a

market town A market town is a Human settlement, 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 marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...

in the district of

Zell am See Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...

in the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n state of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

Geography

Lofer is located in the historic Pinzgau region, in the valley of the

Saalach The Saalach is a river in Austria and Germany, and a left tributary of the Salzach. Course The river begins, as the stream, in the Austrian state of Tyrol in the Kitzbühel Alps at the lake below the high Gamshag. From there it flows i ...

river between the

Chiemgau Alps The Chiemgau Alps (german: Chiemgauer Alpen) are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps and therefore belong to the Eastern Alps. Their major part is situated in Bavaria, Germany and only a small section crosses the Austrian border into ...

and

Reiter Alpe The Reiter Alpe (also ''Reiter Alm'' or ''Reither Steinberge'') is a mountain range of the Berchtesgaden Alps, named after the village Reit. it is located on the German–Austrian border in Bavaria, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. Geography Major ...

in the north and east, and the

Lofer Mountains The Lofer Mountains or Loferer MountainsHeuss, Theodor (1955). ''Preludes to life: early memoirs'', University of Michigan, p. 143. (german: Loferer Steinberge, lit. "Lofer Rock Mountains") are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps in t ...

in the southwest. In the west, the road leads to the municipality of Waidring in

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

, while in the north the ''Kleines Deutsches Eck'' highway connection, part of the European route E641, runs along the Saalach river to the southwestern outskirts of

via neighbouring Unken and over the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. The municipal area comprises the cadastral communities of Au, Hallenstein, Lofer, and Scheffsnoth.

History

Due to its location on the road to

, Lofer was an important post station. Its citizens were vested with market rights by the Prince-Bishops of Salzburg in 1473. The present-day parish church was erected around 1500. The border with Tyrol at Strub Pass in the west was the site of several fortifications erected from the 13th century onwards. During the Napoleonic

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...

in 1805, Austrian troops fought here against the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

invaders. During the Tyrolean Rebellion four years later, Bavarian troops stormed the fortress, which soon after was demolished.

Population

Economy

The local businesses are mainly agriculture and tourism. The Saalach river running through the town it is a popular white water destination during the summer, and in the winter months its newly extended 58 km of groomed ski runs attract many family oriented ski parties. The season is late December - early March. 37 km away is the large resort of Kitzbühel.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeiderat'') as of 2014 local elections: *

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curr ...

(ÖVP): 10 *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (german: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Austria. It was led by Norbert Hofer from September 2019 to 1 June 2021.Staff (1 June 2021"Au ...

(FPÖ): 5 *

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

(SPÖ): 2

Media

Parts of the film ''

Where Eagles Dare ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It follows a joint British-American Special Operations Executive team of paratroopers raiding a castle (shot on loca ...

'' (1968) were filmed in Lofer.

References

External links

Municipal websiteTourist site
{{authority control Cities and towns in Zell am See District