Cultural highlight: The Zunft in Bichlbach

A special connection to the homeland

Paul Strolz has been the managing president of the Zunft fraternity St. Joseph zu Bichlbach since 2015. As a native of Bichlbach, he has a special bond with the Zunft church. 'I got to know the church back in the 1960s,' says Paul Strolz. At the time, it was still very dilapidated and desolate. 'My father was the first chairman of the renovation committee and I too was allowed to be there and help with the renovation as a young boy,' adds Strolz. . 'That's something a young person remembers for a long time.' That's why he didn't have to think long when the then-mayor asked him to take over as managing president of Zunft in Bichlbach."Through the history with my father Joseph, I knew immediately that I would accept and do my best every day, together with the members of the fraternity council, to preserve this church and continue to fill the fraternity with life," Mr. Strolz said.

How Zunft Bichlbach came about

'To understand the history of the Zunft fraternity, we have to go back a bit in time,' says the Bichlbach resident. 'In a nutshell, there was a serious avalanche accident on February 4, 1689 in the neighbouring town of Lähn von Bichlbach. The then parish priest Lucas Egger made a vow on the basis of this catastrophe and said he wanted to found a brotherhood and build a church,' says Mr Strolz. 'He did both.' Thus the Zunft brotherhood of St. Joseph zu Bichlbach was born. 'It's called handwerk or Zunftfraternity. Because the word Zunft stands for handicraft,' explains Mr Strolz.. From 1694 onwards, Bichlbach became the centre of all craftsmen of the world.

A Baroque jewel - The only Zunft church in Austria

The craftsmen built the Zunft church in 1710. "It's the only one in all of Austria," Mr. Strolz emphasizes. The main task of the Zunft brothers and sisters today is to preserve this church. It's a baroque jewel. The dissolution of the Zunfts from 1859 brought this wonderful church into oblivion.Then in 1973 a newspaper article appeared with the headline: "Bichlbach - scene of a cultural scandal - Austria's only Zunft church before decay?" That was the start of the careful, loving renovation. The ceremonial dedication and handover took place on the 12th and 13th. October 1974. Today, we make sure that the stories are preserved and people will always remember this jewel. It is a very special place," enthuses Paul Strolz of the church. The Zunft church is being tested from 18th to 9th, anyone interested can visit them at any time.

Exclusive guided tours with the Zunft Bichlbach

The Zunftfraternity also offers guided tours where they guide interested visitors through the church and the Zunfthaus with museum. 'Currently we guide interested guests through the house, museum and church every first Thursday of the month from 4pm. From four to a maximum of 20 people in cooperation with the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena,' Strolz explains. 'The Zunftkirche, together with the Zunfthaus/museum, is a cultural highlight in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena and definitely worth a visit.'

Special highlight: Rare Jesus figurine

The church is simply designed but still offers many highlights. Among them is a crucifix strewn with wounds that immediately catches the eye of every visitor. "This is a so-called wound crucifix (1611 the plague broke out and 1635/36 were plague years in Bichlbach)," says Paul Strolz. There is a great similarity with four other wound crucifixes located in the Tyrolean Upper Inn Valley. So a very rare, special work of art," points out Paul Strolz, the museum's curator.

The Zunft museum

In addition to the Zunft Church, there is also the Zunft Museum. The museum is located in the Zunfthaus (old Widum). “The valuable museum objects show the varied history of the living guild in the afterlife. But also many old tools, as they were in the 17th to 19th. "Centuries have been spent, there is a lot to be admired," he said. “The house as it stands today was built in 1761 and reopened in 2006 after a careful renovation.”

The birth certificate of the Zunftbeilade of St. Joseph zu Bichlbach is currently on display at the Zunftmuseum. It was discovered by chance in the "Sammlung Jäger" in Ötz (Ötztal) in 2017. It also contains the ZunftBeilade Holzgau (Lechtal). As far as we know, it is the oldest surviving founding document of a Bichlbach Beilade, in which all previous agreements and decisions have been bound together in a book and certified by the court. It is the only original (copy) that can be admired in facsimile with transcription in book form.

Support the Zunft Bichlbach

„The Zunft Brotherhood of St. Joseph has been operating under renewed rules since it was reintroduced in 1977. In the Brotherhood Council, the responsibilities are clearly distributed. A special highlight is the annual Zunft Celebration and Fraternity Assembly on Sept. March. Since 2010, a symbolic Social Prize has been awarded annually. The Social Prize recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of social welfare with a regional context, taking into account the contents of a Christian-social worldview. We also have an open membership," Strolz explains. This means anyone can become a member of the Zunft Fraternity: ladies, gentlemen, companies or institutions. To become a member, those interested only need to go to the Zunft Fraternity's website and fill out the declaration of membership. Once submitted, the Brotherhood Council confirms membership.The membership fee is 20 euros annually. We live off these fees and donations from the tours. We use the money to maintain the Zunftkirche and pay for renovations. With the contribution, everyone makes a significant contribution to preserve this unique baroque jewel," says Strolz.