Maria Taferl

Last updated
Maria Taferl
Maria Taferl - Ortsansicht.JPG
Southwest view of Maria Taferl
AUT Maria Taferl COA.svg
Austria adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Maria Taferl
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 48°13′36″N15°09′35″E / 48.22667°N 15.15972°E / 48.22667; 15.15972
Country Austria
State Lower Austria
District Melk
Government
   Mayor Herbert Gruber (ÖVP)
Area
[1]
  Total12.17 km2 (4.70 sq mi)
Elevation
443 m (1,453 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01) [2]
  Total887
  Density73/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
3672
Area code 07413
Vehicle registration ME
Website www.mariataferl.at

Maria Taferl is an Austrian market municipality of 872 people in the District of Melk and the most important pilgrimage site in all of Lower Austria. After Mariazell, Maria Taferl is the most important pilgrimage destination in all of Austria.

Contents

Geography

Maria Taferl is located in the Nibelungengau in Lower Austria on a bank over the Danube. 47.48 percent of the municipality is forested. As the Maria Taferl Market, which takes place on the so-called "Taferlberg" (Taferl Mountain), the remaining districts are found in the hilly surrounding area. To the south, the basilica is widely visible throughout the town.

History

The Opferstein (Sacrifice Rock) Opferstein Maria Taferl.jpg
The Opferstein (Sacrifice Rock)

Little is known about the early settlement of Maria Taferl. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum was located on the northern shore of the Danube. During Roman times, the Danube served as the border of the Province of Noricum. Even today in the church plaza, there is a stone of Celtic origin, on which heathen sacrifices were made. This attests to Maria Taferl's long tradition as a place of religious activity.

Maria Taferl and the surrounding countryside belonged to the territory of the Ostarrichi during the time of the Bambergs in the Middle Ages. It then became part of the Habsburg holdings. For a long time, it was part of the land of the Lords of Weißenberg, whose seat lay in the nearby town of Münichreith. It is assumed that the various districts of the town were already established during the Middle Ages. The history of the modern market of Maria Taferl begins in the 17th century.

The first church was built around a shrine to the Holy Mother, which is the origin of the name "Maria Taferl." The legends say that the statue of the Pietà at the shrine was an offering from Alexander Schinagel, a forester, who had a miraculous recovery from a serious illness. It replaced a crucifix there, which had also been the site of a miracle, for when local shepherd Thomas Pachmann tried to chop down the oak on which it was placed, he gravely injured both his legs. After a prayer to the Virgin Mary, his almost fatal wounds stopped bleeding. The old oak was destroyed by fire in 1755, which also damaged the statue.

Pilgrimage and parish church Maria Taferl Maria Taferl - Kirche (0).JPG
Pilgrimage and parish church Maria Taferl

The church building was built from 1660 to 1710. Its construction was begun under the imperial architect Georg Gerstenbrand and the Italian Carlo Lurago. Its famous cupola was built by Jakob Prandtauer from 1708 to 1710. He also designed the current appearance of Melk Abbey. The Maria Taferl church is built in the baroque style with ample amounts of gold leaf and a frescoed ceiling. In the center of the high altar is the namesake Marian stature. The building's rear houses its crypt.

According to an inscription in the building's interior, the building of the church gave the local inhabitants new courage after the Plague, the Turkish Wars, and the Thirty Years' War had all taken their toll. It also supported the ideas of the Counter-Reformation in the heartland of the Catholic House of Habsburg. All this speaks to Maria Taferl as an important manifestation of the Catholic faith on the main traveling route of the Danube.

There are many traditional stories of angelic processions here, which come from the 17th century. The tradition of pilgrimage to Maria Taferl also dates back to that time. In 1760 alone, there were 700 pilgrimage processions and over 19,000 masses said there. The church is also a kind of information treasure chest about its pilgrims, their origins, and their number. Within it are the gifts of the pilgrims, who came on account of illness and were cured. Another reason for Maria Taferl's importance as a pilgrimage destination was the stone cross, a gift from the citizens of Freistadt for pilgrims who died on the journey. It is also evidence of the exhausting nature of pilgrimage in those days. The murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his family lived in the nearby Artstetten Castle and is known to have regularly attended mass at Maria Taferl.

Maria Taferl became a Basilica minor in 1947.

By 2010, the basilica's interior should have undergone a complete restoration. It will then celebrate a double jubilee: 350 years since the laying of its cornerstone in 1660, and 300 years since its completion in 1710. The interior's last restoration was around 50 ago; the exterior was restored in 1982, and in 1998, the domes of the two towers were re-covered.

Besides the basilica, in Maria Taferl there is also a monument for the Fallen of both World Wars. These men are honored annually at meeting of veteran's groups.

There is a folk belief that the water from the well at Maria Taferl can help with eye complaints.

Other landmarks in the town are the Elementary School Museum, as well as the mechanical nativity, which tells the story of Maria Taferl's origins.

Municipal divisions

The municipality of Maria Taferl is divided into seven districts:

Politics

The mayor of Maria Taferl is Herbert Gruber and the Chief Officer is Daniela Lahmer. In the Municipal Council the 15 seats went to the following parties: ÖVP 10 and SPÖ 5.

Business and infrastructure

The Primary School Museum, Maria Taferl Volksschulmuseum Maria Taferl.jpg
The Primary School Museum, Maria Taferl

After agriculture, tourism is the most important economic activity in Maria Taferl.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melk</span> Place in Lower Austria, Austria

Melk is a city in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,257. It is best known as the site of a massive baroque Benedictine monastery named Melk Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</span>

Cathedrals, collegiate churches, and monastic churches like those of abbeys and priories, often have certain complex structural forms that are found less often in parish churches. They also tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished craftsmen, and occupy a status both ecclesiastical and social that an ordinary parish church rarely has. Such churches are generally among the finest buildings locally and a source of regional pride. Many are among the world's most renowned works of architecture. These include St Peter's Basilica, Notre-Dame de Paris, Cologne Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Antwerp Cathedral, Prague Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of San Vitale, St Mark's Basilica, Westminster Abbey, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Antoni Gaudí's incomplete Sagrada Família and the ancient cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, now a mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melk Abbey</span> Historic site in Austria

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria's first ruling dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enns (town)</span> Place in Upper Austria, Austria

Enns is a town in the Austrian state of Upper Austria on the river Enns, which forms the border with the state of Lower Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rankweil</span> Place in Vorarlberg, Austria

Rankweil is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the district Feldkirch. It is the second largest town in the district Feldkirch and the eighth largest town in Vorarlberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klosterneuburg</span> Municipality in Lower Austria, Austria

Klosterneuburg, frequently abbreviated to Kloburg by locals, is a town in the Tulln District of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Stift Klosterneuburg, which was established in 1114 and soon after given to the Augustinians, is of particular historical importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunkelsteinerwald (municipality)</span> Place in Lower Austria, Austria

Dunkelsteinerwald is a market municipality with 2,289 inhabitants in the district Melk in Lower Austria, Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariazell</span> Municipality in Styria, Austria

Mariazell is an Austrian city in the southeastern state of Styria. Well known for being a hub of winter sports and a pilgrimage destination, it is located 143 kilometres north of Graz. It is picturesquely situated in the valley of the Salza, amid the north Styrian Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waidhofen an der Ybbs</span> Statutory city in Lower Austria, Austria

Waidhofen an der Ybbs is a statutory city (Statutarstadt) in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. The city had a population of 11,662 as of the 2001 census and an area of 131.56 km². It was first mentioned in 1186 and has been the economic centre of the Ybbstal region since the 14th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marija Bistrica</span> Municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County, Croatia

Marija Bistrica is a village and municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County in central Croatia, located on the slopes of the Medvednica mountain in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region north of the capital Zagreb. The municipality has 5,976 inhabitants, with 1,071 residents in the settlement itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariazell Basilica</span>

Mariazell Basilica, also known as Basilica Mariä Geburt, is a Roman Catholic church building in Mariazell, Austria. It is the most important Christian pilgrimage destination in Austria and one of the most visited shrines in Europe. In the church, a miraculous wooden image of the Virgin Mary is venerated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schärding</span> Place in Upper Austria, Austria

Schärding is a town in the northern Austrian state of Upper Austria, the capital of the district of the same name, and a major port on the Inn River. Historically, it was owned by the Wittelsbach family, which is reflected in the town's architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Saal</span> Place in Carinthia, Austria

Maria Saal is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain, the wide valley of the Glan River. The municipality includes the cadastral communes of Kading, Karnburg, Möderndorf, Possau and St. Michael am Zollfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obervellach</span> Place in Carinthia, Austria

Obervellach is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mautern an der Donau</span> Place in Lower Austria, Austria

Mautern an der Donau is a town in the district of Krems-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Schmolln</span> Place in Upper Austria, Austria

Maria Schmolln is a municipality in the district of Braunau am Inn of the Austrian state of Upper Austria state. The community is mainly known as an important pilgrimage destination among rural Innviertel. The name comes from its location on the “Schmollner Berg”, literally small mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aschach an der Donau</span> Place in Upper Austria, Austria

Aschach an der Donau is a municipality in the district Eferding in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgau, Styria</span> Municipality in Styria, Austria

Burgau is a municipality in the district of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld in Styria, Austria. It is in the south-east of the country, near the border with Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wachau</span> Valley in Austria

The Wachau is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans" for its high-quality wines. It is 36 kilometres (22 mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Dürnstein, where King Richard I of England was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries, castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauriacum</span> Ancient Roman city, now Enns, Austria

Lauriacum was an important legionary Roman town on the Danube Limes in Austria.

References

  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.