What a beautiful location! Zell am See (or Zell by the Lake) is a small Austrian town located in the Kitzbuhel Alps. Most famous for it’s hiking and skiing, we chose it for its amazing views and relaxation. The lake is one of Austria’s deepest coming in at around 250’ deep. And people still swim here in the Summer!

View from our apartment.

The town has been around since the Roman times but didn’t start to take hold until around 1357 when it was given the rights to be a “town”. Who makes that call? Anyway, lots of countries have laid clam to this small resort town; from the Germans in 1526, to the French in 1800, to the Austrians in 1816, then back to the Germans in 1933, and back to the Austrians in 1945. Oh, the Americans had a brief stint here in 1945 as well.

Today, Zell am See is an international destination for the rich and famous. That’s why we’re here! Wealthy Russians and Saudis come here each summer to stay for 6-8 weeks during the height of their summers. The town was actually marketed to the Muslim communities in Europe as a place “closest to Jannah” (heaven) which resulted in a large influx of Muslims seeking life in a heaven-like environment. The Porsche family has a compound here and also manages the airport, owns the Convention Center, chairs and funds a summer race and a winter ice race. The Von Trapp family lived here for many years with several of their children being born in Zell am See. There have also been writers, artists, Formula 1 drivers, and more skiers and jumpers than you can imagine born here. For such a small town, there have been a lot of notable people from here.

Population today is around 9,800 people, not counting the 2.6 million people that stay here, at least for 1 night, each year. Tourism is the prime industry here, with skiing being the largest contributor. With 121 cable cars and lifts serving over 138 kilometers of ski runs, Zell am See is THE place in Austria to spend your winter. Cost, nothing like in the States. A 1 day lift ticket in Zell am See costs ~$92.00, and you can ski any of the 138 kilometers. By comparison, a 1 day lift ticket to Breckenridge costs between $159.00-$220.00. Ski season here started 11 October this year! Gotta believe that Doug Hartmann dreams of this place.

The town has a small pedestrian area loaded with shops, restaurants, and cafes. That’s also where the town church, St. Hippolyte Church, is located. Don’t believe I’ve ever heard of St. Hippolyte. Maybe in a Dr. Seuss book??? Nope, it seems in doing my research, no one knows who St. Hippolyte is, where this guy came from or what he did. There are many “it is believed” statements about him but no one has been able to say, with any certainty, they have positive proof there was a St. Hippolyte. How do these things happen? Surely there was someone asking the question back in the 1400’s?

Town Square

Well, so be it. If you come to Zell am See, check out the church and the 15^th century tower. Can’t miss it.

Beautiful little town with good, very good, pastries so give it a try. You have to try the Germknodel, awesome!

Collette’s quasi-carrot cake

My Germknodel, yummy! Fruit filled dumpling with hot cream sauce and crushed sesame seeds and powdered sugar.

Done for today. Going to take a couple of days to relax then do a day trip to Innsbruck. We haven’t been in Innsbruck since December 1982, our honeymoon. I’m sure it looks the same.

St. Hippolyte’s tower