Zell am Ziller

Zell am Ziller, Tyrol, market town in the district of Schwaz, alt. 575 m, pop. 1,802, area 2.43 km², bi-seasonal tourist resort (318,336 overnight stays in 1992), main settlement in the central Ziller Valley at the confluence of the Ziller river and Gerlosbach stream. - District court, local forest inspectorate, branch offices of the local health and social insurance agency and of the TIWAG (short for "Tiroler Wasserkraftwerke AG", the Tirolean Water Power Utility), federal school of tourism, recreational park for entertainment and other events, multi-purpose building of the Tauernkraftwerke power plant; Rosenalmbahn (partly municipality of Rohrberg) and Gerlossteinbahn (up Gerlossteinalm, partly municipality of Hainzenberg) gondola ropeways; nearby, Gerlos storage power plant (built 1948, 65.2 MW, municipality of Gerlos); brewery, trade. - Developed from a monk's cell in the 8^th  century, early Christian Community, documented mention from 1188 on as "Celle", first brewery in Tyrol, founded around 1500 (still in operation today); mining region in the 15^th -19^th centuries (miners' column on Gerlosstraße road, 1832), until 1600 also gold mining. - Baroque parish church (documented mention 1304, central-plan building by A. Hueber after plans by W. Hagenauer 1772-1778), Bearing of the Cross fresco (around 1515) in the Gothic tower (1511), dome fresco (1775-1779) and high altar painting by F. A. Zeiller; neo-Gothic hospital chapel (1853). - Custom: Gauderfest on 1^st Sunday in May.

Literature: H. Moser, Chronik von Zell am Ziller, 1976; C. Haidacher, Zell am Ziller, 1989.