Gschnitz

Gschnitz
Municipality
File:Gschnitz.jpg
Coat of arms of Gschnitz Coat of arms
Location in the district Location in the district
Coordinates:
Country	Austria
State	Tyrol
District	Innsbruck Land
Government
• Mayor	Christian Felder
Area
• Total
Elevation	1,242 m (4,075 ft)
Population  ()
• Total
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6150
Area code	05276
Vehicle registration	IL
Website	gschnitz.tirol.gv.at

Gschnitz (German pronunciation: [kʃnɪts]) is a municipality with 415 inhabitants (1 January 2011) in the south of North Tyrol.

Setting

Gschnitz is at the end of the valley of the same name that branches off from the Wipptal at Steinach am Brenner. The municipality borders are from the Talschluss (3,277 m, 10,751 ft) to the South Tyrol. The Gschnitz Brook provides the village with drinking water.

Nearby municipalities are Brenner, Neustift im Stubaital, Obernberg am Brenner and Trins.

History

Origin

The village is mentioned for the first time in 1284 as "Gasnitz". In 1288 the valley had nine Schwaighöfe (alpine farms) seven of them in Gschnitz, which formed the centre of the village, and two at Laponesalm. The right of succession in Tirol originated from these nine Schwaighöfe and was adopted in all the other valleys in the region. In 1471 the rivalry between Gschnitz and Trins arose and reached a point that the inhabitants of the two villages blocked the entrance to the valley; the Steinach am Brenner Court had to intervene to resolve the dispute. Gschnitz was awarded the status of a municipality in 1811. Major development occurred from the 18th century onwards.

Coats-of-arms

Gschnitz's coat of arms consists of a red background, crossed by three horizontal stripes, one of each, consisting of six lozenges, alternating white and black. This visualization looks like the roof of the nine mountain farms. The coat of arms was made official January 10, 1984.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	210	—
1880	222	+5.7%
1890	221	−0.5%
1900	194	−12.2%
1910	217	+11.9%
1923	207	−4.6%
1934	230	+11.1%
1939	246	+7.0%
1951	278	+13.0%
1961	291	+4.7%
1971	371	+27.5%
1981	436	+17.5%
1991	443	+1.6%
2001	455	+2.7%
2011	415	−8.8%

Sights

File:Gschnitz - Chiesa parrocchiale.JPG

Parish church dedicated to "Our Lady of the Snow"

File:Gschnitz - Interno chiesa.JPG

Baroque interior by Franz de Paula Penz

Parish Our Lady of Snow

Gschnitz originally belonged, like most of the villages of Wipptal, to the parish of Matrei am Brenner. The church “Our Lady of the Snow" was built in 1730 and later, in 1755, restored in Baroque style with plans by Franz de Paula Penz. In 1775 Gschnitz was established as Vicariate and in 1891 as Parish.

Sanctuary of St. Magdalena

The Sanctuary of St. Magdalena is located near the border, between Gschnitz and Trins, at an altitude of 1,661 m (5,449 ft) accessible only on foot, under the Schönberg. The church is the oldest in the valley as confirmed by the Romanesque frescoes dating back around 1200 and discovered in 1959.

External links

• (in English) Wipptal Gschnitz