Maria Taferl
| Maria Taferl | ||
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 Maria Taferl
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| Coordinates: 48°13′36″N 15°09′35″E / 48.22667°N 15.15972°ECoordinates: 48°13′36″N 15°09′35″E / 48.22667°N 15.15972°E | ||
| Country | Austria | |
| State | Lower Austria | |
| District | Melk | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Herbert Gruber (ÖVP) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 12.18 km2 (4.70 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 443 m (1,453 ft) | |
| Population (1 January 2016) | ||
| • Total | 912 | |
| • Density | 75/km2 (190/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 3672 | |
| Area code | 07413 | |
| Vehicle registration | ME | |
| Website | www.mariataferl.at | |
Maria Taferl is an Austrian market municipality of 872 people in the District of Melk and the most important pilgrimage site in all of Lower Austria. After Mariazell, Maria Taferl is the most important pilgrimage destination in all of Austria.
Maria Taferl is located in the Nibelungengau in Lower Austria on a bank over the Danube. 47.48 percent of the municipality is forested. As the Maria Taferl Market, which takes place on the so-called "Taferlberg" (Taferl Mountain), the remaining districts are found in the hilly surrounding area. To the south, the basilica is widely visible throughout the town.
Little is known about the early settlement of Maria Taferl. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum was located on the northern shore of the Danube. During Roman times, the Danube served as the border of the Province of Noricum. Even today in the church plaza, there is a stone of Celtic origin, on which heathen sacrifices were made. This attests to Maria Taferl's long tradition as a place of religious activity.
Maria Taferl and the surrounding countryside belonged to the territory of the Ostarrichi during the time of the Bambergs in the Middle Ages. It then became part of the Habsburg holdings. For a long time, it was part of the land of the Lords of Weißenberg, whose seat lay in the nearby town of Münichreith. It is assumed that the various districts of the town were already established during the Middle Ages. The history of the modern market of Maria Taferl begins in the 17th century.
The first church was built around a shrine to the Holy Mother, which is the origin of the name "Maria Taferl." The legends say that the statue of the Pietà at the shrine was an offering from Alexander Schinagel, a forester, who had a miraculous recovery from a serious illness. It replaced a crucifix there, which had also been the site of a miracle, for when local shepherd Thomas Pachmann tried to chop down the oak on which it was placed, he gravely injured both his legs. After a prayer to the Virgin Mary, his almost fatal wounds stopped bleeding. The old oak was destroyed by fire in 1755, which also damaged the statue.
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Wikipedia