Imagine, a mirror reflecting the sky. That is Hintersee. It is a municipality in Salzburg. It is located in Austria.
Hintersee lies in the Flachgau region. The Tauglbach, also called Lämmerbach, flows here. The municipality is part of the Seekirchen district. The lowest point is on the shore of Hintersee. It sits 700 meters above sea level. Mountains surround the area. They reach about 1,500 meters. The Gruberhorn and Gennerhorn peaks are the highest. They reach 1,732 and 1,734 meters.
Hintersee covers 47.44 square kilometers. Almost eighty percent is forest. Ten percent is alpine pasture. Five percent is agricultural land.
Hintersee includes two villages. These are Hintersee and Lämmerbach. Hintersee includes Anzenbergalm, Eben, and Sommerau. Lämmerbach includes Aschau, Eckl, and Vordergrubenbach.
The first written record of Hintersee dates back to 700. Duke Theudebert of Bavaria made a donation then. From 1612 to 1803, Hintersee belonged to the Salzburg Cathedral chapter. This lasted until the end of the Salzburg Archbishopric. The current municipality formed in 1848.
The municipal council has nine members. In 2004, the council had 5 ÖVP and 4 SPÖ members. In 2009, it was 4 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, and 2 FPÖ. The 2014 and 2019 elections resulted in 5 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ. The 2024 elections again mirrored this distribution.
Paul Weissenbacher has been the mayor since 2009.
The municipality received its coat of arms in 1981. It shows three green spruces next to each other. They stand on a green base. Behind them is a silver lake. The spruces refer to a local legend. It tells of three large spruces that once stood in the village. The lake represents the name Hintersee.
The parish church is a cultural landmark. Also worth seeing are the Langreith hunting lodge and the Joseph Mohr Chapel.
Hintersee has natural monuments. These include an erratic boulder south of Hintersee. There is also an ice chapel in the Griesbachgraben. A village linden tree stands in Hintersee. Another linden tree is near the Hinterer-Gut.
In 2010, there were 30 farms. Twelve were primary occupations. Fourteen were secondary. Four were run by legal entities. These four managed 44 percent of the land. Nine of the twelve workers in production worked in construction. The largest employers in services were social services and hospitality.
In 2011, 249 employed people lived in Hintersee. Fifty-five worked in the municipality. Almost eighty percent commuted elsewhere.
Hintersee is near the Salzkammergut. It lies in the Osterhorngruppe mountains. This makes it ideal for hiking. The area also has a small ski resort, Hintersee-Gaißau. The village is not very touristy. Most skiers are day-trippers. They come from Salzburg or Flachgau.
Joseph Mohr was a vicar in Hintersee. He lived here from 1827 to 1837. He wrote the text of “Silent Night.”
Hintersee is a place of peace. Its nature and history offer a unique experience. It is a destination to remember.