Region Seefeld - Tirol's High Plateau
The History of Scharnitz
Despite the fact that Scharnitz is the youngest settlement in the "Scharnitzwald", the place bears the oldest known name. The area where the town of Scharnitz is located was known early on. It was described as wild, desolate, and very snowy in winter, and therefore feared as early as the 8th century AD, referred to as "solitudo Scrantiensis" or "Scaraza", but also called "desertum Scaratie". The root word "Scar" is probably Illyrian and means "bare rock".
When the Romans built a road from Teriolis (Zirl) to Parthanum (Partenkirchen) and recognized the narrow point of the valley at today’s location Scharnitz as a strategically important point, they built a fort here – in today’s district of Bühel at the Kapferer and Rainer house (Nos. 8/9) – and named it "Mansio Scarbia". It served the Romans as accommodation and overnight station for soldiers, as well as a rest area and a post and change station. In 763 AD, Bavarian nobles (Reginbert and Irminfrid), at the request of the Bishop of Freising and with the consent of their dukes, founded the monastery "Scaraza" – sometimes also called "Scarantia" – and a church in honor of Saint Peter in the wilderness "solitudine Scarantiensi". Various documents indicate that in the 14th and 15th centuries the area from Partenkirchen to almost Zirl was referred to as "Scharnitzwald" or simply "the Scharnitz".
Today, the municipality of Scharnitz and Seefeld is called the upper Scharnitz, Mittenwald the middle, and Klais and Gerold the lower or outer Scharnitz. The names "Scaraza" and "Scarbia" gave rise to the name "Scarnize" and later the name "Scharnitz".
Today, Scharnitz, as the smallest town, belongs to the Seefeld region, but together with the Karwendel, which largely belongs to the municipality of Scharnitz, it is one of the largest municipalities in Tyrol.
Scharnitz in Motion
Construction of the Nature Park Information Center Scharnitz and Holzerhütte Museum
From the end of 2017 to August 2019, both the Nature Park Information Center Scharnitz and the Museum Holzerhütte were built. The Nature Park Information Center Scharnitz serves as the western gateway to the Karwendel and is a highlight for all visitors to the region. Especially before or after a hike in the Karwendel Nature Park, it offers the opportunity to gain comprehensive information. Also in the immediate vicinity of the information center are the Museum Holzerhütte and the Nature Experience Playground Scharnitz.
The Holzerhütte, a historic log cabin from the Gleirschtal in the Karwendel Nature Park, was once used by woodworkers as accommodation. Today, this traditional building hosts a modern multimedia exhibition. This exhibition is dedicated to the fascinating history and current significance of wood use, the everyday life and lives of woodworkers from the past and the present, as well as the ecological networking and natural biodiversity in the native mountain forests.
