Fountain at the church square
Window basket at the Dengel House
Via Claudia Augusta Square with the fountain
Dragon gargoyle at the Dengel House
Decorative flowers in Reutte
Rodfuhrtafel painting in the South Tyrolean Settlement
The Reutte natural park region with the municipalities of Reutte, Breitenwang, Ehenbichl, Höfen, Lechaschau, Musau, Pflach, Pinswang, Vils, Wängle and Weißenbach is a hub for high-tech value creation in the AllgäuTyrol border region where people live in harmony with nature. Nestled in a unique setting between the Alpine world and the foothills of the Alps, the Gateway to Tyrol has over 900 years of dramatic history to tell on the Via Claudia Augusta and the Salt Road. With healthy natural origins along with peace and security – it is a place where we work and others go on holiday. A natural water park from the Lech and from the streams and crystal-clear mountain lakes ensure for energy, regeneration, renewal and change. It is a region that abounds with economic, social and ecological prosperity along with quality leisure options.
We abide by the values of honesty, genuineness, pride, innovation, ambition and respect.
We wish you a pleasant stay and a fulfilling time and look forward to seeing you in the Reutte Natural Park Region!
Hermann Ruepp Chairman
Ronald Petrini Manager
The tour starts at our Tourism Association Nature Park Region Reutte information bureau (Untermarkt 34) – we will guide you on the walk through our beautiful hometown with tips we have gained from the book ‘Reutte – 500 Jahre Markt 1489 – 1989’.
The area in front of the tourist information was redesigned in 2020 and now forms a cycling rest area and information centre along the approximately 700 km long-distance cycle route, Via Claudia Augusta. The spokes of the playful Via Claudia Augusta fountain are formed by jets of water. In front of it runs a symbolic section of the Via Claudia Augusta Roman road – represented by darker paving stones. From around 46 AD it formed the most important northsouth route in Europe, leading from Donauwörth to Venice. You will now find sheltered bicycle racks here with charging stations for E-bikes, lockers for the short and safe storage of backpacks and bags, as well as a drinking water well and a bicycle service station for small repairs.
The wooden Roman chariot with two horses rising up between the tourist office and the park provides a great spot for a souvenir photo. The adjacent playground is named the Movement Workshop and is intended to strengthen the joy of movement not only for children, but for all age groups. On the façade of the New Middle School is the sgraffito marking the Siege of Ehrenberg.
Via Claudia Augusta fountain and Roman chariot
After a few metres you will reach the Hotel zum Mohren 2 – at Untermarkt 26. This is one of the oldest established inns in Reutte and can be traced back to 1646 as a brewery. In 1765 the owner, Joseph Wagner, was mentioned in the minutes of a local council meeting. Over the course of time, the names of the innkeeper families have changed, but the name of the restaurant remained constant. The original inn sign is now in the museum Grünes Haus (Untermarkt 25).
Afterwards you will see the Tauscher House 3 – Untermarkt 24. It dates back to the 18th century. The fresco of the Immaculata (depiction of the Virgin Mary) under the gable of the house dates to around 1780 and is probably from the well-known Reutte Baroque painter Johann Jakob Zeiller. The town house was named after its former owner, the merchant and mayor of Reutte, Karl Ludwig Tauscher (1827 – 1897). Since 1930, the building has been owned by the market town of Reutte. Diagonally opposite is the Zeiller Square – a pleasant tranquil area in the middle of the Untermarkt – which is surrounded by the historic buildings of the former Unterer Salzstadel, the Zeiller House and the Grabherr House.
Tauscher House
The salt warehouse in Reutte – Untermarkt 31. The modern commercial and residential building was, until the end of the 18th century, home to the Lower Salt Barn. It was built of wood soon after written permission was gained from Duke Sigismund in 1471 for the construction of a salt warehouse. In 1712 a new stone building was built. For the storage of the salt barrels a levy had to be paid to the owner, the parish of Breitenwang. When the salt trade stagnated, the Unterer Salzstadel was used as a customs office in the years 1778 – 1841 for the movement of goods to and from Füssen. Since then, the house with its characteristic hipped roof has been privately owned.
The “Beautiful House” (Zeillerplatz 2) of the painter’s family was spared by the major fires that broke out in Reutte in 1703 and 1704. On the south side of the building there are still fragments of frescoes dating from around 1600. The façade paintings on the other three sides of the house –especially the frescoes on the gable side – were made around 1776 and were designed by the baroque painter Johann Jakob Zeiller (1708 – 1783). His father and first teacher, Paul Zeiller (1658 – 1738), had inherited the house. Paul Zeiller, who is regarded as the founder of the Außerfern school of painting and also taught his relative Franz Anton Zeiller (1716 – 1794), had his painting workshop here. His famous son Johann Jakob was born here. Today it houses the Zeiller gallery with its changing exhibitions (www.galerieverein-reutte.at).
Zeiller HouseTo the former inn “Zur güldenen Rosen” also belonged the Tower and the Zeiller House. As far back as the 15th century, the entire property was already owned by of the long established Reutte family of the Klainhanns. In the second half of the 17th century, it became acquired by wealthy Reutte citizen and salt Factor Christoph Zeiller. It remained in the possession of the Zeiller family for several generations. A fire in the year 1704 destroyed the inn completely. The construction of the building in the form it takes today was completed in 1737 and it served as an inn and hostel. Back in 1754 – 1782, it was the seat of the district governor for the Upper Inn Valley, an administrative district covering today‘s districts of Reutte, Imst and Landeck. In the years 1806 – 1814, the Royal Bavarian Rentamt (tax office) was found in the building. After the end of Bavarian rule, the building came into the possession of the Grabherr, Senetin and Hösle merchants. The façade painting with the richly designed illusionary architecture portal frame is an original from 1800. Along the long front of the house, on the middle window, a medallion with a rose and a serving plate with a wine jug, held by two putti, acts as a surviving hint to the “Zur güldenen Rosen” wine inn.
At the end of the long side of the Grabherr House is The Tower 7 . This is probably the oldest surviving building in Reutte. The premises on the first floor served as overnight accommodation for high-profile travellers. Emperor Frederick III, the father of Maximilian I, may also have stayed here in 1488 as a traveller.
Grabherr House with Tower
As you continue, you will come to the Grünes Haus, a historic building and museum. It probably dates from the second half of the 16th century, as Renaissance paintings prove, which were found on the second floor of the house. Around the middle of the 18th century, the wealthy Von Strelle sisters are documented as owners. Probably on their behalf, Johann Jakob Zeiller carried out the façade decorations on a green background in 1779. Under the gable, around the middle window, a depiction of the Holy Trinity is symmetrically grouped on clouds. Architectural paintings such as the illusionary portal, columns at the corners, cornices and herm pilasters on the cartouche-crowned windows decorate the house. Around 1800, the wrought-iron window baskets were made in rococo style. The museum has been found in the premises since 1990. In addition to the exposed Renaissance paintings and the exquisite stucco ceilings, dating back to around 1720 or 1730, the museum offers an interesting insight into the development of arts and crafts in the region.
The museum is barrier-free and there are entertaining puzzle games for children to enjoy. A visit is recommended!
Opening hours:
- Tuesday to Saturday: 13:00 - 17:00
- every first Thursday of the month from 13:00 - 19:00 with free guided tour at 17:30
Contact: www.museum-reutte.at, phone: +43 5672 72304
Grünes Haus
Diagonally opposite is the impressive Zur Goldenen Rose 9 building – Untermarkt 16. The former “Zur Goldenen Rose” brewery inn is said to have taken its name from the “Zur güldenen Rosen” restaurant around 1800, when it closed. According to tradition, Johann Ammann had the stately central hall built in 1724 over an old Gothic structure. In 1774, his son, the wealthy innkeeper Jakob Mang Ammann, moved the brewery of his neighbourhood inn Goldenes Kreuz (Untermarkt 18) to an annexe of the Goldene Rose.
In 1778, the post office, which had previously been located in Heiterwang, was moved to Reutte. The Old Post Office is decorated with a gable fresco by Ludwig Werner from 1928. This shows a departing stagecoach. The luggage of the departing lady has already been stowed on the roof of the carriage, and the husband says goodbye to her while two small dogs watch. On the left at the edge of the picture, a monkey is sitting on the fence.
The “Zur Goldenen Glocke” inn was another traditional business of the village and was called the “Zum Glockenschild” brewery from around 1700. It was founded by Hans Georg Knicker and was owned by the noble Von Wiesenegg family from 1874 to 1990. A part of the dining room can now be seen in the Museum Grünes Haus. The modern façade design, which refers to disastrous fires that have struck Reutte several times, was made by the artist Rolf Aschenbrenner.
Across the street at the end of Untermarkt is the hotel
Goldener Hirsch
Alte PostLocated near the market square, the Goldener Hirsch hotel is one of the oldest restaurants in Reutte. In 1615, Christoph Zeiller, father of the Baroque painter Paul Zeiller, acquired the wine business for his whole family. The stately building became the main residence of the Zeiller family and since then it has been continuously in family ownership, with only the family name changing several times due to marriage. In 1782, a brewery license was granted and beer was brewed here until 1906. Alois Geisenhof, the first photographer of Reutte, who worked from 1870, also came from the ranks of the owners.
Diagonally opposite the main road on the left you will see one of the most spectacular houses of Reutte, the Dengel House, the Strahlenburg residence. It was built in 1704 by the trader Johann Ammann. The marble coat of arms of the tradesman is located above the entrance portal. Until 1780, the house remained in the possession of the rich Reutte entrepreneurial Ammann family, who used the building as an office and as the “Zum schwarzen Bären” inn. The subsequent owners, the Strelle von Löwenberg and Strahlenburg family, also worked here as major entrepreneurs, brewers and innkeepers. Paintings created around 1800 in the then modern Empire style frame the windows and stand out tastefully from the green background. Excellently crafted rococo window baskets brimming with details decorate the gable side of the house. Dragon heads are used as gargoyles. In 1920, Dr. Ignaz Philipp Dengel, a scholar and local historian from Außerfern, inherited the house named after him. During renovation work, Dengel had his coat of arms affixed to the bay window on the north side of the house. A saying by the Tyrolean dialect poet Bruder Willram refers to the renovation.
Hotel Goldener HirschRight next to the Dengel House is the Market Town Hall – Obermarkt 1. As early as 1491, the bourgeoisie of Reutte built a granary and town hall on this site, which was continuously expanded and enlarged in the following period. The ground floor was used to store the grain for the weekly market days, as a trading place in bad weather, as a meeting room and even as a polling station used in the once annual mayoral elections. From the 18th century, there was an archive room on the upper floor to store the documents and writings of the community. There was also a meeting room for the council, an office room for the council clerk and a separate office for the mayor. Only towards the end of the 19th century did the building lose its primary function as a grain store and trading centre – since then it has been exclusively the home of the municipal administration.
Dengel House
Reutte Market Town Hall & Nail Column
In the 15th and 16th centuries, court sessions were often held in front of the building in the open air. From his judge‘s chair the judge of Ehrenberg pronounced the law. Weekly and annual markets were also held around the granary. The setting of this marketplace was dominated by a large linden tree, which supposedly dated back to the time of the market’s establishment in 1489. Due to its size and age, the tree had to be felled in 1947, however. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the market’s establishment in 1989, a young tree was planted again in the same place in the middle of the road traffic.
The Nail Column has stood at the southwest corner of the market town hall since 1917 and documents the great willingness of locals to help during the distress of the First World War. When money was donated for war widows and orphans in the district, a nail was hammered into the wooden column.
Next to it is the District Authority – Obermarkt 7. In the second half of the 18th century, Joseph Carl Falger built the “Zur Gemse” inn here for distinguished travellers. Pope Pius VI gave his blessings to the people when travelling through in 1782 from the balcony of the house. A reminder on the façade of what is now the district authority building commemorates this event.
Opposite is the District Court – Obermarkt 2. As early as 1600, the house that now has a plain appearance with a steep gable roof was mentioned as the Ehrenheim of the wealthy nobles of the Klainhanns. At that time, it was one of just a few stone buildings in Reutte and dominated the marketplace by its height together with the adjacent St. Anna Church. The house was purchased soon after 1600 by the later guardian of Ehrenberg, Burkart Layman zu Liebenau.
District AuthorityIn 1606 he moved the Ehrenberg trusteeship to Ehrenheim, while a little later the office of judge was also moved to the building. From 1854 to 1938, the district authority and the court were jointly housed here. Since 1938, the district court and the police station have been located in the premises of the old Ehrenheim. The sundials on the south side of the building are well worth seeing.
Beside is the church square with a fountain from 1874 and the former Franciscan monastery with the parish church of St. Anna. On 15 March 1628, Archduke Leopold V of Tyrol and his wife Claudia of Medici laid the foundation stone for the Franciscan monastery in Reutte. The already existing chapel or church dedicated to St. Anna was connected to the monastery, which the Franciscans were able to move into as early as 1631.
Parish Church of St. Anna: The construction of today‘s church dates back to the time after the fire in 1703. During the disastrous fire of 1846, the baroque decor of the church was destroyed. In the course of the last major church renovation from 1964 to 1967, the neoclassical furnishings of the 19th century were removed. Today, the plain church interior is adorned by a few works of art that are all the more valuable as a result. These include the late Gothic group of figures of Anna selbdritt, which was made by the noted Allgäu sculptor Jörg Lederer around 1510 to 1515 and was spared by both fires. The precious carving is located in an elevated position on the front wall of the chancel, surrounded by an aureola.
Parish Church of St. AnnaAbove the right side altar hangs a painting with the depiction of St Antonius of Padova as an intercessor for prisoners and the ill. It was made by the local painter Paul Zeiller and dates back to 1707. A special mention should also be made of the ‘Crucifixion group with Mary and John’ on the left side altar, which is attributed to Balthasar Jais and Anton Sturm. (For more information, see the art guide available in the church.)
Along the monastery wall, three old chestnut trees still remind us of the work of the Reutte Beautification Association at the turn of the century.
The physician and scholar Dr. Franz Anton Jäger (1771 – 1818) was born in the Hornstein House. He was one of the greatest geniuses that Reutte has ever had. He studied philosophy, mathematics, physics, astronomy and medicine and spoke seven languages. The house came into the possession of the Hornstein family in 1891. In 1926, the house underwent a fundamental makeover. The paintings on the façade were made by the painter Martin Kees (1878-1959). They refer to the trades of master shoemaker Hans Hornstein and master painter Josef Hornstein, which were based in the house at the time.
The house of the royal hunters, built around 1500, is marked today only by the small image of a crossbow guard on the north façade. The house fell victim to the great fire disaster in 1703 and was rebuilt in 1710. The medallion with the depiction of a groom above the entrance to the house refers to the wedding of Christian Carl Lumper, son of a lawyer from the Upper Lech Valley, and Maria Anna Jäger, daughter of a Reutte merchant and councillor, in 1782.
Lumper HouseThe fathers of the bride and groom acquired the house for their children. Since then, it has been continually owned by the Lumper family.
This town house was founded in 1740 by salt Factor Ferdinand Zeiller and remained in the possession of the Zeiller family until 1939.
The stately house, which today houses a fashion shop, has over 100 years of business tradition and contains a small treasure with the Madonna above the entrance. This beautiful figure of Maria Immaculata was created around 1750 by the famous sculptor Anton Sturm and was recently renovated in superb style.
The owners of this house can be traced back to 1750, which suggests this was the time the building originated. The classicist façade design we see today dates back to the early 19th century. The windows are surrounded by stucco frames. The central window is a particular focus of attention due to its painted Eye of God. The depiction of Maria Immaculata was created around 1820 and is also surrounded by a stucco frame. Mary is depicted here with a wreath of 12 stars. Surrounded by two angels, Our Lady stands on a crescent moon after triumphing over the snake at her feet. The building was renovated in 2007 and houses the traditional Holzmayr Bakery.
Holzmayr BakeryIn the Hitler-Mussolini Agreement of 1939, the so-called ‘option’ was agreed to present the German- and Ladinspeaking population with the forced choice of either becoming Italian or emigrating to the German Reich. In the vote, 86% - approximately 166,000 South Tyroleans – voted to emigrate. By the end of the war, about 75,000 of them had actually left.
The South Tyrolean emigrees needed places to live in their new homeland. Cities and municipalities were chosen as hosts for the fact they needed workers and also had sufficient space for new homes to be built. Reutte offered both advantages with several significant companies and the so-called Kleinfeldele. Estates for migrants were planned centrally, but typical regional elements were included in the architecture. Construction of a migrant settlement in Reutte began in July 1940 and the project was classified as important for the war. In November 1943, all 155 high-quality apartments were completed in 18 residential buildings along with green areas and 501 people moved in. Some of the apartments were given to ‘non-resettlers’, i.e. war invalids and those injured by air raids, locals who had made their old apartment available for resettlers and some party officials.
The apartments had the following rooms: a bathroom with an indoor toilet (instead of the outhouse toilet, which was often still in use in Reutte) and a washbasin (connections for a wooden boiler and a bathtub were provided), a kitchen with a kitchenette including a sink with hot and cold water, with a shoring under the window with ventilation slots facing outwards functioning as a ‘fridge’ and electric stove and wooden stove, a master bedroom with a fireplace connection, a nursery with fireplace connection and a cellar compartment
Entrance to the South Tyrolean Settlement
There was also a garden for growing your own produce, a children‘s playground, a meeting place and plenty of green space.
On the façades of the houses, the painter Karl Heinrich Walther Kühn created depictions that correspond to the ideology of the time and are well worth a look. In addition to the coats of arms of South Tyrolean municipalities and towns at the entrance to the settlement, scenes from rural life, mottos of effort and success as well as ornamental rune scenes can be seen.
The entire South Tyrolean settlement has been preserved and is mostly inhabited. 53% of the South Tyrolean settlement is classified as a listed building and will therefore be permanently preserved, but the rest could be demolished in the future.
The Reutte Museum Association has restored an apartment at Südtirolerstraße 12 to the time it was built. In cooperation with the market town of Reutte, the Place of Remembrance of the South Tyrolean Settlement has been created. The history of the South Tyrolean settlement in Reutte has been vividly documented here and will therefore be preserved for future generations. The apartment can be visited as part of a guided tour of the settlement.
Contact details:
Museum im Grünen Haus, Untermarkt 25, 6600 Reutte
Tel. +43 (05672) 72304, info@museum-reutte.at
Original kitchen in the Place of RemembranceThe chapel in the oldest district of Reutte, the Kög, was built around 1760. The fresco of St. Florian on the façade gable as well as the ceiling paintings inside the church from 1951 are by the Innsbruck painter Franz Seelos. The Reutte painter Franz Anton Zeiller created, around 1774, the altarpiece
‘St. Florian protects the Reutte market’. The features of the recently restored chapel also include the statue of a Mater dolorosa and the figure of the so-called Wiesheiland (Christ at the Whipping Column).
Upon your return to Obermarkt, you will arrive at the “Zur Goldenen Krone” 25 – Obermarkt 46. In the large central corridor house, the “Zur Goldenen Krone” inn was located in the 17th century, with its own brewery at the time. Among those staying with former innkeeper of the Krone, Paul Deutsch, from 28 to 29 July 1777 was Emperor Joseph II. Above the portal, the depiction of a six-horse carriage and an explanatory text refer to this event.
The large town house was owned in 1798 by the main customs official of Ehrenberg. In 1877 it was acquired by the Order of the Sisters of Mercy who operated it as an orphanage until 1939. By running a small farm the sisters were able to produce food for themselves. They also ran the hospital and kindergarten and taught in a girls‘ school. After the confiscation by Nazi authorities in the Second World War, the health office was located here, and from 1954 onwards it was a student home. Today, the house is run by the order as a crèche and after-school care centre.
Florian ChapelThe former “Zum Schwarzen Adler” inn from the 18th century makes a particular impression with the façade painting that Joseph Anton Köpfle (1757 – 1843), one of Johann Jacob Zeiller’s students, made in 1800. Under the gable, the Resurrection of Christ is shown. Classical illusionist architectural paintings - such as pillars and pilasters and empire vases - surround the portal and the window. Worth noting also is the artistic basket grid above the entrance.
On the southeast side is the façade painting of the Annunciation of Our Lady. Mary receives the good news from the Archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen as the Mother of God. The illusionary architecture with the perspective running to the rear, the checkerboard floor and a green curtain hanging in the picture suggest the artist Joseph Anton Köpfle from Höfen is the painter. The picture shows Mary as a noble lady with the Holy Spirit hovering over the scene. On the opposite northwest side of the building there is a depiction of St. Florian, which is unfortunately poorly preserved. He is considered the patron saint against fire and fire danger.
We hope you enjoyed our tour. You can now return straight through Obermarkt and Untermarkt to the starting point of the walk at the tourist information office.
Imprint:
Publisher: TVB Naturparkregion Reutte, Untermarkt 34, A-6600 Reutte
Concept, Design & Implementation: Agency Singer, Obermarkt 16, A-6600 Reutte
Photo credits: TVB Naturparkregion Reutte
Subject to printing errors and mistakes.
Zum Schwarzen Adler
Culture
• Adventure Museum ‘On the Trail of the Knight’ Reutte
• Zeiller Gallery Reutte • Hangar SW Aviation Museum Höfen
• Hammer forge Vils • Miller‘s Miehl Weissenbach
• Wunderkammer Elbigenalp • Carving School Elbigenalp
• Geierwally Open-air stage Elbigenalp
• Local History Museum Felixé Mina‘s House Tannheim
• Guild Museum Bichlbach • Bavarian Royal Castles (Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof)
• Wieskirche • Ettal Abbey • Oberammergau Passion Theatre
• Crystal Worlds Wattens • Schwaz Silver Mine
Natural experiencens
• Hahnenkamm Mountain World Höfen
• Plansee and Heiterwanger See Boat Trip
• Birdwatching tower Pflach • Stuibenfälle (waterfalls)
• Forest Experience Centre and Treetop Trail Pinswang/Füssen
• Lechfall Füssen • Lechzopf Forchach
• Klimm Elmen Natural Park House
Cuisine
• Breweries (Vilser Bergbräu, Stadl-Bräu Rinnen)
• Cheese dairies (Show dairy Musteralpe Plansee, Biedermann Grän, Sojer Steeg, Lehern Dairy Hopferau)
• Schnapps distillery Lechtal Haussegen Elbigenalp
• Winery tour Linzgieseder Ehrwald
Attractions
• Ehrenberg Castle World and highline179 Reutte
• Tiroler Zugspitzbahn Ehrwald
• Heini Klopfer ski jump hill Oberstdorf
• Olympic Ski Stadium Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Cities worth visiting
• Füssen im Allgäu • Garmisch-Partenkirchen • Hall in Tirol
• Regional capital city Innsbruck • Oberammergau
The Reutte Natural Park Region offers unique and varied holiday and excursion destinations for visitors of all ages.
Don´t miss any of the Four Highlights!
Bath + Sauna pleasure
alpentherme-ehrenberg.at
Castle + Museum to discover ehrenberg.at
Train + Huts experience
bergwelt-hahnenkamm.at
Bridge to conquer highline179.tirol
