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| St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country |  Austria |
|---|---|
| State | Upper Austria |
| District | Gmunden |
| Mayor | Johannes Peinsteiner (ÖVP) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 56.6 km² (21.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 548 m (1798 ft) |
| Population | 2,794 (31/12/2005) |
| - Density | 49 /km² (128 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | GM |
| Postal code | 5360 |
| Area code | 06138 |
| Website | municipal website |
St. Wolfgang is a market town in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria, named after Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg. Situated on the northern shore of the Wolfgangsee at the foot of the Schafberg mountain, it is famous for the White Horse Inn (Hotel Weißes Rössl), the setting of the musical comedy and for its pilgrimage church with a late Gothic altarpiece by Michael Pacher.
A destination spa, St. Wolfgang is also a popular skiing resort during the winter. A rack railway, the Schafbergbahn runs up the mountain.
History
Saint Wolfgang erected the first church at the shore of the Wolfgangsee after he withdrew to the nearby Mondsee Abbey in 976. According to legend he threw an axe down the mountain to find the site and even persuaded the Devil to contribute to the building by promising him the first living being ever entering the church. However Satan was disappointed as the first creature over the doorstep was a wulf (Wolf in German).
After Wolfgang's canonization in 1052 the church became a major pilgrimage site as it was first mentioned in 1183 deed by Pope Lucius III. In 1481 it was furnished with the famous Pacher polyptych. There had been several places for lodging around the church since medieval times, while the Weißes Rössl hotel was not built before 1878.
During World War II, a subcamp of Dachau concentration camp was located here.1
Transportation
St. Wolfgang can be reached via a branch of the B 158 Wolfgangsee Straße federal highway (Bundesstraße) running from the city of Salzburg to Bad Ischl.
References
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