Small towns in the Austrian countryside
Above/featured: Bovine goodness with Gasthof Hauserwirt in the background, in Einöden at the outskirts of Wörgl – 13 May 2018.
Österreichische Dörfer auf dem Land
Spending a few weeks exploring Austria in spring between peak winter and summer seasons got me to examine a variety of artistic and cultural aspects, including:
• a search for Erwin Schrödinger’s grave,
• a century of Vienna Modernism,
• a day-trip from Vienna to Bratislava with a boat on the Danube, and
• looking for modern Salzburg beyond Mozart and The Sound of Music,
Because I’m all about trains and buses in Europe, there were many towns encountered: some passed by, and others planned and visited. The following examples of small towns in Austria includes a generous portion of mountains from the Austrian Alps.
A sprinkle of towns
- Alpbach, population 2600
- (Gries am) Brenner, population 1500
- Ellmau, population 2700
- Fulpmes, population 4500
- Hainburg an der Donau, population 6200
- Hallstatt, population 800
- Kematen in Tirol, population 2800
- Kreith, population 200
- Mehrn, population 800
- Neustift im Stubaital, 4700
- Oberndorf bei Salzburg, population 5500
- Sankt Jodok am Brenner, population 500
- Scharnitz, population 1300
- Telfes im Stubai, population 1500
I retrieved population estimates using an online search with the town’s name and the word “Einwohnerzahl”; I rounded numbers to the nearest hundred.
Alpbach
(Gries am) Brenner
Facing east, just inside Austria border; Austrian ÖMV gas station for northbound traffic at right – 14 May 2018.
Ellmau
Fulpmes
Riehlstrasse at Kirchstrasse, facing west-southwest. The mountain station for the Kreuzjoch cable car is in the background at upper centre. At right is the steeple of Pfarrkirche Heiliger Vitus (1747), or the Holy Vitus parish church. Photo on 12 May 2018.
Hainburg an der Donau
Near the Austria-Slovakia border, on board Twin City Liner boat on the Danube river – 17 May 2018.
Hallstatt
Kematen in Tirol
On S-Bahn Tirol train northbound to Scharnitz: over the Inn river to Kematen and beyond to the Sellrain valley – 12 May 2018.
Kreith
On Stubaitalbahn tram northbound to Innsbruck: just north of Kreith, facing east to Europa Bridge (centre) and the town of Patsch at the foot of Patscherkofel (upper left) – 12 May 2018.
Mehrn
Neustift im Stubaital
Paragliding with the Elferkofel looming behind – 12 May 2018.
Oberndorf bei Salzburg
Silent Night Plaza, where after evening mass on Christmas Eve 1818, “Silent Night” was performed live for the first time – 24 May 2018.
Sankt Jodok am Brenner
On S-Bahn Tirol train southbound to Austro-Italian border at Brenner: northwest view to town and church Heilige Jodok und Isidor – 14 May 2018.
Scharnitz
On S-Bahn Tirol train northbound to Scharnitz: approaching Austro-German frontier with Brunnensteinspitze (2180 m, right-centre) – 12 May 2018.
Telfes im Stubai
On Stubaitalbahn tram northbound to Innsbruck: just north of Telfes, facing southeast across Stubai valley to the town of Mieders with Serles at right – 12 May 2018.
I made all pictures above in May 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime; alle Fotoaufnahmen sind mit Wasserzeichen versehen worden. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-fxt. Acknowledgements go to Amy for LAPC no.64 (21 to 27 Sep 2019).
Fotoeins Fotografie 
37 Responses to “Small towns in the Austrian countryside”
Henry, Henry, Henry!!!! What a glorious tour – thanks so much for sharing it with us.
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Hi and thanks, Tina! I had posted a “small towns” post a couple of days ago, but that post didn’t show up on WordPress’ Reader “wall/scroll”, even though I’m a stickler for tags and put on the required tags before posting. Oh well.
Thanks for reading *this* post and for your kind comment!
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Thanks Henry. Somehow WP glitches seem to be on the rise. Thanks for persevering
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Henry, your post took my an a memory lane, I have been all those little towns, back than when I lived in Germany, taking skiing and hiking trips to Austria. Thank you sharing and taking me there.
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Hi and you’re very welcome, Cornelia. I’m glad the post provided a trip down memory lane for you. Retrieving, examining, and putting up these pictures emphasized my desire to go back and spend even more time exploring the Alps across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (even though I don’t ski). Thanks for your kind comment!
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Thank you Henry, you probably will even make it , before I might go there.
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Cornelia, I hope you can go back soon, and see how some of these places have changed (or not changed!) over time. 😊
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Beautiful pictures! I recognise 2 of them. Austria looks fresh and full of life during spring! I visited in winter, also very pretty but very different. 🙂
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Thank you for stopping by and for your comment! I’ve always been fascinated by how places appear differently between summer and winter. I might also add “smell” differently, especially in places with Christmas markets: the Brats, the cakes, the Glühwein! 😊
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Henry I alway enjoy visiting your blog. Your captures are always a joy to see. Yes so different on different seasons, right? That’s why I advocate going to the same place at least twice, if possible 🙂 I’ve been to Germany twice, but both in winter. The first time was in Hamburg and Kiel (at Kiel Institut for World Economy), it was freezing up there. That’s where I had my first Biergarten Gluhwein experience. Simply unforgettable. 🙂
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Thank you! I also agree with you about visiting a place in different seasons, if possible. Winter days are already short at the latitudes for northern Germany, and with any cloud cover, days will feel even shorter. I’ve visited those parts as well in late November and December for lights and libations at Weihnachtsmarkt, but then things can get really quiet(er) in January and February. Time permitting, I’ll check out more of your travels and what you all saw and experienced.
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Wow… What a grand tour you are taking us to, Henry!! Thank you so much for sharing your travel journey. 🙂
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Hi, Amy. Fascinating (and a little irritating) how my first post on small towns in the American Southwest didn’t get picked up by WordPress’ Reader, but my second post on the Austrian countryside got onto the Reader scroll/page. 😅 But it’s been fun and interesting to see how I managed to pick out various towns at various stages of different journeys. Thanks again for stopping by and for your kind comment!
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I love your photos of US Southwest. Try this link:
https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2019/09/21/lens-artists-photo-challenge-64-countryside-and-or-small-towns/
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Thanks! Yes, I had that very same URL as the reference link; so, it’s still a little mysterious. 🤷🏻♂️😅
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Thank you for a wonderful trip, Henry! I do love Austria, Switzerland and the Alpine countries!
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Hi, Ann-Christine. It’s always been a hope that my love of the Alps comes through in my photographs. 😍⛰ Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comment!
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Oh it does!
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Beautiful, beautiful. I don’t need to tell you, Austria is a very photogenic place. I did some hiking in the Stubai, many decades ago. Hut to hut. Did I say, beautiful beautiful?
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Hi, John: beautiful is an understatement, and as you well know, alpine locations have two equally photogenic representations in winter and summer. As an introduction, I felt I needed to spend even more time exploring and hiking this area, especially getting up to those pointy peaks at the very southern end of the Stubai valley (which I didn’t get to do). Stubai is known to Innsbruckers (obviously) and to many Austrians, but not as well known outside of the country which in some respects is fine by me. 😎 Thanks again for your comment, and for stopping by!
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[…] of Fotoeins Fotografie shares his images of life in the small towns of […]
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Thank you, Tina! 😎
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Ah, Henry, thanks for taking me on a trip down memory lane….
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Hi, Sue; you’re very welcome! In what parts of Austria have you spent the most time? Thanks for your comment and for stopping by!
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When I was a child, we went to Kärnten and Vorarlberg, I have visited Tyrol, Steiermark and other regions since!
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Hi, Sue. It may not surprise you to know most of my Austria time has been in Tyrol and Vienna. But little prelim looks have me interested in visiting other parts of the country. What are the favourite and/or memorable parts of Austria you’ve seen and experienced?
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Oh, goodness, it’s all so long ago….Steiermark and Graz, perhaps, Hochosterwitz, and more recently the Neusiedlersee, oh and the Wachau…..
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I thought about a day trip to Wachau from Vienna, but there was much too much to see (and still, much for me to seek) in Vienna. I appreciate the suggestions; thanks!
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Great work. Congratulations.
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Hi, Charlie: thanks for your comment and for stopping by.
I’ve read a few of your posts highlighting concerns about overdevelopment of Alpine valleys in Tirol. Of possible interest to you and your readers, the following documentaries from Deutsche Welle in both English and German are available to view on YouTube:
* Climate change: Europe’s melting glaciers.
* Alpendämmerung – Europa ohne Gletscher.
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Hi. Thanks for getting back to me and perusing a few of my efforts.
The Deutsche Welle documentaries are of great and pertinent interest so thanks for pointing me in their direction. I look forward to viewing your website in due course.
Regards from England.
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[…] via Small towns in the Austrian countryside (LAPC) — Fotoeins Fotografie […]
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Thanks for sharing my post!
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Cool list of villages, Henry. Coming from a small town on the Bavarian side near Salzburg I’ve visited most of the places you mention. Also.. “bovine goodness”.. haha.. great way of putting it.
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Thanks for your kind comments, Stefan!
Interesting how I’ve not seen much between Rosenheim and Salzburg, except for München-Innsbruck trains thru Rosenheim, or a day trip from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden. I’d like to return to Berchtesgaden, and I’d like to visit Chiemsee, too.
You’re from Burghausen! What’s interesting to me is how that’s just short of the Salzach’s convergence with the Inn. I must admit I was surprised by how the Inn is “diverted” north by the Kitzbühler Alpen, the Kaisergebirge, and Chiemgauer Alpen, before flowing east and “above” Salzburg.
re. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_der_Gebirgsgruppen_in_den_Alpen.png
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What a great list! I went to school in Vienna so there is nothing more delightful than Austrian villages 🙂
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Hi, Lannie. Do you have favourite towns/villages in Austria?
For how long did you stay in Vienna? What was your favourite district in Vienna? I like 5 (Margareten), 6 (Mariahilf), 13 (Hietzing), and 19 (Döbling). I’m certain I have to stay longer in Vienna to pin down an absolute favourite district, and that to me seems like a decent pursuit.
Thanks for stopping by and for your comment!
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