788 AD
»…a place known as Elsenwang, having meadows and woodland, a lake by the name of Fuschlsee, another called Abersee, having paddocks, meadows, and woodland, also fishing and hunting, next to which reside a number of monks, living entirely by their own labours…«
A place known as Elsenwang, having meadows and woodland
This almost lyrical description of the landscape comes from the goods directory drawn up by Notitia Arnonis. This was compiled at the behest of Archbishop Arno in 788 AD in order to arrange for Charlemagne to certify the holdings of his archbishopric.
Location of the monastic cell
For a long time, the location of this monastery remained shrouded in mystery. According to Leopold Ziller, one of the top experts on the history of the Salzkammergut, the solution to the mystery lies not to the west of Hof in Elsenwang but to the east in Vorderelsenwang. This is where the grand Kirchbichlhof with its rich traditions has stood on a slope since the High Middle Ages.
The coat of arms of the House of Chirichpüchler (Kirchbichler), whose seat this was and who played a key role in the Middle Ages, shows a building with arched windows and tin tower! This coat of arms can be found in the parish churches at Thalgau, Hof and St Gilgen, as well as at St Nicolaus in Bad Gastein.
Interestingly, during alterations carried out in the 1940s, a walled-in lancet window was found, which reached beyond the room ceiling all the way to the upper floor.
Legendary Elsenwang monastery in Vorderelsenwang
The name Kirchbichl, the image of a church in the family’s coat of arms, the special features of the building – all these speak in favour of Leopold Ziller’s interpretation: This is where it may indeed have stood, the legendary Elsenwang monastery, which was the starting point for settlement of the Salzkammergut in the early Middle Ages.
Verwendete Quellen und Literatur:
Felber, Josef/Lakner, Georg/Johann Schwaiger/ Anderl, Hubert/ Müller/Arno u.a: »Chronik Hof bei Salzburg-Heimatbuch«, hrsg. von der Gemeinde Hof bei Salzburg, 1989.
Gschwandtner/Martin: »Die 1. Erwähnung des Ortsnamens Elsenwang«, schriftliche Abhandlung, Hof 2001.
Gschwandtner/Martin: »Kraftquelle Wasser«, München, Norderstedt 2018.
Ziller/Leopold: »Der Hof von Elsenwang«, Mitteilungen der Sbg. Landeskunde, 1978.
