Towards the end of the Neolithic period, settlers ventured from the Alpine foothills into the inner Alpine regions of what is now Salzburg because of the copper ore deposits in the mountains. People had learned to work the easily malleable metal and its alloy, bronze, as a material and to use it to make tools and weapons – the Bronze Age (1900–1250 BC) had dawned.
People were already living in the Krimml area in the early Bronze Age. Close to the course of the Salzach river on the natural rock plateau of the Falkenstein, approx. 2 km east of today's town centre, there was a hilltop settlement from 1600 BC onwards. The village on the Falkenstein consisted of 16 huts and reached its greatest extent in the Middle Bronze Age. Even then, people climbed or crossed the mountains to reach the south. Although there is no concrete evidence of this, they probably chose the route over the Krimmler Tauern, which led them up the steps of the Krimml Waterfalls and on through the Krimml Achental and Windbachtal valleys over the main Alpine ridge and from there down into the Ahrntal valley.
The small plateau on the Falkenstein remained inhabited even during the Urnfield period (1250–750 BC). During this transitional phase from the Bronze Age to the Hallstatt period, prehistoric copper mining in the Salzburg region declined in importance in favor of salt and iron mining, and only isolated settlements have been documented for the entire Upper Pinzgau region. The inhabitants had abandoned the hilltop settlement on the Falkenstein, located between the present-day municipalities of Krimml and Wald im Pinzgau.
Around 200 BC, the Celtic kingdom of Noricum emerged in the Eastern Alps. One of Noricum's thirteen tribes, the Ambisontes, settled in what is now the Pinzgau region. However, the center of their tribal territory was relatively far from Krimml. It was located in the fertile upper Saalach Valley near Saalfelden. The mountainous region remained sparsely populated, even after Noricum became a Roman province. While many Roman settlements arose in the easily accessible Alpine foothills, the Upper Pinzgau region contained only scattered estates, agricultural settlements, or isolated farmsteads. The first major phase of Bavarian settlement in what is now the state of Salzburg, lasting until the end of the 10th century, also primarily encompassed the Alpine foothills, the Salzburg Basin, and the Saalfelden Basin. Nevertheless, the beginnings of settlements dating back to the 9th century have been discovered in the Upper Pinzgau region near Mittersill, on the sunny side of the Salzach Valley.
Even though Krimml wasn't a popular destination back then, the small village was situated near two mountain passes: the Krimml Tauern Pass offered a route to Italy, albeit one that involved considerable effort due to its relatively high and steep gradient. The Gerlos Pass led to the Zillertal Valley.
In the Late Middle Ages, the pack trail over the Krimml Tauern was primarily used by craftsmen and merchants from the surrounding valleys for the wine and livestock trade, and by farmers from the upper Salzach and Ahrn valleys who grazed their cattle on the fertile alpine pastures of the Krimml Achen Valley during the summer. The old tavern in the Achen River, the Krimml Tauernhaus, served as a stop at the westernmost Tauern pass belonging to the Archbishopric of Krimml, leading into Taufers in Tyrol. It is documented as early as 1389 as a supply post for travelers and pack animals crossing the Krimml Tauern.
Within the Archbishopric of Salzburg, Krimml was the westernmost Kreuztracht (administrative district with one church) of the Mittersill bailiwick, the highest regional administrative authority over which the archbishop exercised actual sovereignty. The Kreuztracht Krimml consisted of the smaller units of Oberkrimml and Unterkrimml – a division that has been preserved to this day.
The end of ecclesiastical rule in Salzburg at the beginning of the 19th century brought multiple changes of power and profound political upheaval. When Bavarian and French troops occupied parts of the province of Salzburg after Austria's declaration of war on Napoleon in 1809, the militias of Pongau and Pinzgau, supported by Tyrolean freedom fighters, resisted.
Among the Salzburg commanders, Anton Wallner, a native of Krimml, distinguished himself through his courageous actions. Today in Krimml, the Anton Wallner Monument in the town center, the historic Anton Wallner Rifle Company, the Anton Wallner Brass Band, his listed birthplace, the Hinterlehengut estate, and the Anton Wallner Brewery all commemorate the freedom fighter's origins.
The establishment of the Crown Land of Salzburg in 1849/50 brought an end to a difficult period for Salzburg as part of the "Province of Upper Austria and Salzburg" within the Habsburg Empire. At that time, the center of Krimml, as it had been for half a millennium earlier, consisted of around 15 houses, farmsteads, workshops, and a few private residences. The farmers, who had only owned their land since emancipation from feudalism in 1848, without being bound by a feudal relationship, concentrated on livestock farming and the production of milk and dairy products. The yield from their labor remained below average compared to agriculture in all other Austrian crown lands. The labor-intensive livestock and dairy farming in the mountains required a high level of employment and was therefore not competitive.
Even though conditions in agriculture and trade were difficult, Krimml experienced an economic upswing. A love of the landscape and the development of the Alps for mountaineering and tourism now drew visitors to the highest waterfalls in Europe, the Krimml Waterfalls, and to the Hohe Tauern mountain range.
The waterfalls had already been made accessible in 1879 by the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV) via a path with bridges and viewing platforms.
The Pinzgau Local Railway, which extended to Krimml (Vorderkrimml) in 1898, opened the area to many nature enthusiasts. It brought domestic and international visitors who stayed at the Gasthof zur Post, the Hotel Krimmlerhof, the Gasthof Hofer, the Gasthof Schönangerl, or the Krimmler Tauernhaus.
Finally, in 1899, the DuOeAV entrusted the care of the waterfall trail to its Warnsdorf section, which had been founded in 1887 by Friedrich E. Berger, a wholesale yarn merchant from Zittau. With the activities of the Alpine Club, which built the Warnsdorf Hut (2336 m) in the Krimmler Achental in 1891, the Zittauer Hut (2328 m) in the Wildgerlostal in 1901, and the Neugersdorf Hut (2568 m) in the South Tyrolean part of the Zillertal Alps in 1907, and whose deputy chairman Anton Richter privately built the Richter Hut (2374 m) in the Rainbachtal in 1897, a lively alpine tourism began in Krimml, which lasted until the First World War.
Despite the severe disruption to social and economic life in Krimml, the many dead, wounded, and war refugees during and after the First World War, the popular summer resort recovered during the interwar period thanks to the influx of visitors. Only the Great Depression and the German Reich's 1,000-mark currency restriction brought tourism in Krimml to a near standstill. After the National Socialists seized power in 1938, the state of Salzburg experienced a surge of modernization. Industrialization progressed rapidly, and the standard of living rose. While the middle class unconditionally supported the new rulers, enthusiasm for the National Socialist regime was less pronounced among Krimml's Christian-social farming community. The farmers rejected the Church Struggle, the restrictions on their property rights imposed by the Hereditary Farm Law, and the National Socialists' constant farm inspections. During the Second World War, many Krimml residents were drafted into the German Wehrmacht. They lost their lives or their health, while Nazi bigwigs enjoyed hunting big game in the Krimml Achental valley.
After 1940, agriculture could only be maintained through the use of forced labor. The end of the war and the entry of American troops into the state of Salzburg in May 1945 were both an act of liberation from the Nazi regime and an act of occupation by foreign troops. For the people of Krimml, the difficult postwar years meant streams of refugees, smuggling across the border, denazification, but also the reconstruction of democracy and the economy.
The "Brichah," an aid organization that primarily helped Eastern European Jews who had survived the Holocaust escape to Eretz Israel via Italy, began in 1947 to transport groups in convoys through the Krimml Achental valley to the Krimml Tauernhaus mountain hut. There, Liesl Geisler, the innkeeper who ran the hut alone after her husband's death, did her utmost to give to the elderly, the sick, children, and the vulnerable, whatever she could. In the summer of 1947, around 5,000 people thus crossed the Krimml Tauern pass to the Italian border. During the Alpine Peace Crossing, the peace hike organized annually by the APC (Alpine Peace Crossing Association for Refugee Aid), participants commemorate those who undertook this arduous journey and appeal to everyone to help those who are currently refugees seeking protection and asylum in Austria.
Much has happened in the peaceful decades since the signing of the Austrian State Treaty. Important milestones for Krimml included the construction of the new Gerlos road in 1963, the awarding of the European Diploma of Protected Landscapes, Reserves and Natural Monuments to the Krimml Waterfalls in 1967 (a designation that remains in effect today thanks in large part to the initiative of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) Warnsdorf/Krimml section), and the establishment of the Hohe Tauern National Park in stages since 1981, with the addition of the Salzburg section from Krimml to Rauris in 1984. Tourism remains the most important sector of Krimml's economy, both in summer and winter. As early as 1963, the first ski lifts on the Filzsteinalm and Plattenkogel replaced the old cable cars as an aid for skiers. The connection of the Hochkrimml ski area on the Gerlosplatte with the Zillertal Arena in 2003 was another important step in Krimml's continued success as a modern winter sports resort. During the warmer months, the Krimml Waterfalls act like a magnet for visitors from all over the world. Adding to the uniqueness of this natural spectacle is the scientifically proven health-promoting effect of the fine spray near the lowest Krimml Waterfall, which can alleviate allergic asthma. The town also boasts a waterfall center, the WaterWonderWorlds, where the Grossglockner High Alpine Road AG has presented the phenomenon of water to a wide audience.
However, high attractiveness as a tourist destination does not automatically translate into a high quality of life for residents. Particularly in the last three decades, well-functioning local structures have been threatened by the gradual closure of grocery stores, butchers, and bakers. Initiatives such as the construction of the SEkO Center Krimml, a service and local supply center in the heart of the village, are helping to preserve this community, world-renowned for its natural beauty and located at the head of the Salzach Valley, not only as a recreational area but also as a livable and lovable home.
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