History

In the late Bronze age (1100-800 BC) the first settlers were Illyrians mining copper in the hills around Kitzbühel. The romans under Emperor Augustus expanded their territory north over the Alps and estabished the Province Noricum around 15 BC. Arround 800 AC, after the fell of the Western Roman Empire, Bavarii setteled in the region and cleared the forests. The first mentioning of the name “Chizbuhel” was between 1178 and 1182 in the “ChiemseerUrkunde”, a document of the Chiemsee monastery.
1271 Kitzbühel (Chizzingenspuehel) got the status of a town. In1255 the town became part of Upper Bavaria and duke Ludwig II granted city rights. A thick city wall was erected. As Kitzbühel was spared from acts of war and developed into a trading and market place and grew steadily, the wall was demolished down to the level of the first floor and apartments were built above it. When Margarete of Tyrol married Ludwig II, Kitzbühel became part of the Tyrol again. From 1369 (peace of Schärding) until 1450 it was part of Bavaria once again. In that time the silver and copper mining in Kitzbühel was expanded. Emperor Maximillian received in return for his Colonge Arbitration award, with which he ended the Landshut War of Succession, Kitzbühel, Kufstein and Rattenberg. However the law of Ludwig of Bavaria continued to apply in these towns until the 19th century and so they had a special legal status within Tyrol. The wars of the 18th and 19th centuries did not reach Kitzbühel, even though Kitzbühel inhabitants also took part in the Tyrolean liberation struggles / rebellion against Napoleon. Kitzbühel became part of Bavaria once more, when Emperor Franz I in the Treaty of Pressburg 1805 ceded it to Bavaria. After the fall of Napoleon, Kitzbühel was reunited with Tyrol at the Congress of Vienna.
In 1975 after completion of the Salzbug-Tyrol-Railway, trade and industry in the town experienced an upswing. Already 1894 the first ski race took place in Kitzbühel and a new era of sport and tourism started. Since then a lot of prominent and famous people lives there. The cable car “Hahnenkammbahn” opened in 1928.
In both world war´s Kitzbühel was spared from destruction. During the Second World War Kitzbühel was popular vacation spot for leading Nazis. A communist resistance group was arrested and murdered 1942. After the Second World War it became once again a fashionable winter sport resort and since then the famous “Hahnenkamm-Race” takes place every January.

Sightseeing attractions

St. Catherine`s Church

It was built around 1360 in a High Gothic style und was consecrated 1365. It contains a winged altar made of cooper – a masterpiece of coppersmith art created in 1513-1515. In1950 the church was renovated and got a carillon, located in the tower, which sound at 11 am and 5 pm.

Stadtpfarrkirche St. Andreas

The church was first mentioned in a document in the 8th century at the actual location. In the 12th century the church was rebuilt and in the 13th century a new gothic church with a 45m high, slim tower was constructed. The tower stil exists. In the 15th century the growing of the population required the construction of a bigger church and the late gothic three-aisled large church was built from 1435 until 1506. The tower at the north remained. 1661-1663 the high, guilded baroque altar was built. In 1739 and 1785/ 86 numerous ceiling frescoes und baroque paintings were made.
Because of the slim tower the two biggest bells of the five ringing bells are located in the nearby Liebfrauen Church. The biggest one is named Emporer Bell, since the Emporer during the First World War complied with the request not to melt the bell down for cannonballs. It was actually cast for the Innsbruck cathedral, but was rejected due to a cosmetic defect at the crown and a too high tone.

Liebfrauen Church

It was erected in the second half of the 14th century as a cementery chapel with a small tower on the north side and mentioned in a document first in 1373. 1566-1569 a big 48m high tower for the biggest bell of the Stadtpfarr Church was built, as this bell was locted since around 50 years in a wooden belfry outside the church as it was too big and too heavy for the slim tower.
1702 the baroque high alter was built in the upperchurch. 1738 – 1740 further baroque furnishings and paintings were added.
In the lowerchurch the ossuarium is located.

Grand Hotel Kitzbühel

The Grand Hotel was built by the Viennese architeckt Otto Schmid and opened in 1903. During the First and Second World War it was used as hospital. 1976 and again 1998 it was renovated.

Museum Kitzbühel

It was built as grain box in the first half of the 16th century with a southwest tower form the 12th century.
The museum was opened 1934 and shows the history of the town and the history of sport in Kitzbühel. It also hosts paintings from Alfons Walde, who also designed the Logo of the Hahnenkamm race (1891 – 1958, painter and architect)