History & Tradition
in Goldegg am See
History, tradition & development
of the village of Goldegg
From securing the roads, to the castle as a residency and the emerging of a summer fresh jewel in the middle of the Salzburger mountains. The development of the village of Goldegg is turbulent and very interesting. Follow us while we take you on a short journey through the history of the village of Goldegg in Pongau.
A short trip back in time
- 1323 construction of Goldegg castle by the ’’masters of Goldecke’’
- Until the 16th century the castle had a very important protective role over the village
- Until 1854 Goldegg castle was the residence of Salzburg court officials
- 1859 Max Graf O’Donnel bought it – important person to Kaiser Franz Josef
- 1973 it became property of the council of Goldegg
- in the 19th century tourism came to Goldegg
- from 1950 onwards Goldegg develops itself into a village and summer resort
- in the early 1960s about 360 guest beds were established
- 1955 the tourism association was founded – more guest beds were established and from this
- time on tourism has become the most important economic sector for Goldegg
The people of Goldegg know their traditions
In Goldegg there are a lot of people who are proud of their history, origins and traditions of the village. They pass on their knowledge to the next generation with pride and the next generation happily take onboard this knowledge. This is how the ’’Überrockfauen (overskirt)’’ women of Goldegg do it. In spring they hurry off to church festivals and other celebrations and wear the traditional Pinzgau costume with pride and dignity. The Pinzgau costume tradition is old and has a long history. The knowledge and high regard of wearing this traditional costume is passed on from generation to generation.
Even the men from Goldegg love history
When winter and Christmas time is upon them, it is time for the men of Goldegg to get out their masks. The Perchten (mythological creatures) of Goldegg battle the winter, the darkness and the cold. The men of Goldegg do this with great attention to detail, dedication and awareness of tradition. Come spring they take off their masks. Instead they crack their whips; or better said they “schnalzen.“ On special occasions, at parties and weddings, they crack their whips from horseback and carriages. This way the old and young men of Goldegg show off their abilities. If you want to be a man, you have to be able to “schnalzen“ (crack the whip). The men of Goldegg have been doing this for over more than a hundred years.
To know how to & to be able to, makes all the difference
Many of the traditional delicacies would have been lost if the people of Goldegg had not looked after them. Nowadays, who knows exactly how to make rowanberry schnaps? The farmers of Goldegg know. In autumn when the countryside is full of red rowanberries, many people actually think they are poisonous. That is not true. Thrushes, robins and blackcaps eat rowanberries. Mice and dormice also eat them; and the farmers of Goldegg know exactly how to distil the rowanberry schnaps. They love their schnaps and pass on their knowledge from generation to generation.
Become a part of history
Whether it is about relevant historical dates and events, periods of time or knowledge of old traditions, the history of the village of Goldegg is very exciting and interesting. Visit us and become part of the history of our beautiful village in Pongau. For more information call our guest service on: Tel.Nr. +43 (0) 6415 / 8131. We are looking forward to welcoming you as our guest in Goldegg.