Destinations
A town with history: a day in Rattenberg with the best sights
Medieval charm and modern architecture, glass art at its finest, fantastic views and delicious cakes are the proof: Austria's smallest town is really big.
A city - and even a small town - is at least bigger than tranquil Rattenberg. 440 inhabitants on just under 10 hectares - these are the key figures for Tyrol's smallest town. But don't let that fool you! There is so much to discover in the winding alleyways and behind the old walls. After all, the little town has a long history: Rattenberg was first mentioned in a document in 1254. In the Middle Ages, Rattenberg was a regional transport hub and thus gained economic and political importance. The town also had its own landing stage for shipping on the River Inn and served as an important customs station.
The best place to start a tour of the town is with the Nagelschmiedhäuser. The double-gabled house built into the rock at the western entrance to Rattenberg is not just a beautiful - and popular - photo motif: nails were actually forged in the houses from the 12th century until 1912. Around 2000 nails had to be made every day for the nail smith to make a living. Instead of nails, the nail smith's houses now house a museum of craftsmanship: Cots, wooden parlours and originally furnished bedrooms, antiques, information on Inn navigation and pictures take you back to another time.
The tour continues through the medieval pedestrian zone. Here you can see that Rattenberg is not known as a glass centre and glass town for nothing: glass figurines, glass vases in all shapes, glass jugs and hand-blown wine glasses can be bought here. Numerous companies offer glass art of the highest quality. The city's best-known glass manufacturer and refiner is Kisslinger Kristallglas. On three floors, you can find everything you can imagine made of glass: From giant goblets to the finest glasses, from jewellery to glass plates. You can also watch the glassblowers at work and experience how the glass takes its final shape from the red-hot furnace. "It's fascinating what you can do," says one visitor.
Two doors down - in the second Kisslinger Kristallglas factory - you can still look over the engraver's shoulder. She engraves every individual wish in glass. "Names are particularly popular as souvenirs. A letter costs from 10 cents and for little money you have a very special gift," she says.
The best place to take a break is Café Hacker. The café, which has been making sweets for 200 years, is famous for its cakes and tarts.
On the way to the Rattenberg castle ruins, you pass the Malerwinkel, an extraordinary "house of diversity". Until 1920, this was a no-frills functional building and the house behind it was even used as a gymnasium until 1960. Today, the Malerwinkel is a modern event and seminar centre and also houses a fantastic restaurant with a unique ambience thanks to the Gothic vaulted cellar. The combination of medieval charm and modern architecture has succeeded perfectly here.
The glass lift takes you up to the roof terrace of the Malerwinkel restaurant. From there you have a wonderful view over the rooftops of the city.
From the roof terrace, it's not far to the castle ruins on the Schlossberg. On the way, you pass the large open-air stage for the Schlossbergspiele Rattenberg: every summer, the castle ruins become a stage for the dedicated amateur ensemble. Since 1951, a new play has been performed every year - often with the support of professional directors and many volunteers.
From the castle ruins you have a great view of the town - and you can see how small Rattenberg really is. In Rattenberg's eventful history, the castle was originally planned purely as a military facility and gradually developed into the administrative centre of the town. Among other things, it was the seat of the town council and the place where customs duties were paid. The castle, which was under Bavarian rule, was pledged to Tyrol several times before it finally became part of Tyrol under Emperor Maximilian I in 1504. Today, only the ruins of the castle remain.
The Egon Schiele painting can also be discovered on the tour. Here you can see Rattenberg through the eyes of the master painter. An art print of Schiele was pressed onto glass and thanks to a special construction, the drawing can be compared directly with the original - the roofs of Rattenberg. The amazing thing is that Egon Schiele's detailed view has hardly changed even 100 years later.
After a relaxing walk back into the city, you can visit the Augustinian Museum in the buildings of the former Augustinian and later Servite monastery. The sacral museum was only opened in 1993 and displays Tyrolean art treasures from nine centuries as well as religious folk art. You can also climb the church tower of the monastery - the only church tower in Tyrol. A narrow wooden staircase leads right to the top, past massive, centuries-old bells. Once at the top, the view is fantastic.
Finally, you can take another stroll through the alleyways: Almost the entire town is a pedestrian zone and you feel a bit like you're walking through an Italian village. In total, there are only seven streets in Rattenberg. Small but nice, that's exactly right in this little town.
