Wörgl Explained

Wörgl
Pushpin Map:Austria
Pushpin Mapsize:270
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Austria
Mapsize:260x260px
Coordinates:47.4833°N 16°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Austria
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Tyrol
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Kufstein
Parts Style:para
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Michael Riedhart
Elevation M:511
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset:+1
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Registration Plate:KU
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:6300-6302
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:043-5332
Website:www.woergl.at

Wörgl (pronounced as /de/) is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany.

Transport

Wörgl is a railway junction in the line between Innsbruck and Munich, as well as the inner-Austrian line to Salzburg. Its railway station has been designated as a Hauptbahnhof (German: main station) since 10 December 2006.

European route E641 connects Wörgl with Salzburg. The E45 and E60 routes (Austrian autobahn A12) pass through Wörgl.

History

World War II

The near Itter Castle was the site of one of the last European battles of World War II. The Battle for Itter Castle took place on 5 May 1945, with surrendered Wehrmacht troops, the United States Army, Austrian Resistance fighters and former French political prisoners fighting against the 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division. The leader of the surrendered Wehrmacht troops, Major Josef Gangl, was killed during the battle and is buried in Wörgl's municipal cemetery. Sepp Gangl-Straße is a street in Wörgl named after Gangl.[1]

The Wörgl Experiment

Wörgl was the site of the "Miracle of Wörgl", beginning on 31 July 1932 during the Great Depression. Beginning with the issuing of "Certified Compensation Bills", a form of local currency commonly known as Stamp Scrip or Freigeld. This was an application of the monetary theories of the economist Silvio Gesell by the town's then-mayor, .

The experiment resulted in a growth of employment and meant that local government projects such as new houses, a reservoir, a ski jump and a bridge could all be completed, contrasting with much of the depression in the rest of the country. Inflation and deflation are also reputed to have been non-existent for the duration of the experiment.

Despite attracting great interest at the time, including from French Premier Edouard Daladier and economist Irving Fisher,[2] the "experiment" was ended by Austria's central bank Oesterreichische Nationalbank on 1 September 1933.[3] [4]

British economist John Maynard Keynes thought that "future economics will learn more from Gesell's ideas than from Marx's".[5]

In 2006, milestones were placed across the town to commemorate this event.[6]

Twin towns – sister cities

Notable people

Gallery

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sepp-Gangl-Straße – Heimat Wörgl . 2024-01-10 . heimat.woergl.at.
  2. https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/1991/1/cj10n3-13.pdf Working for Irving Fischer
  3. Book: Boyle, David. The Money Changers: Currency Reform from Aristotle to E-cash. 2002. Earthscan. 978-1-85383-895-8.
  4. Book: Helleiner. Eric. The Making of National Money: Territorial Currencies in Historical Perspective. Helleiner. Faculty of Arts Chair in International Political Economy Professor Eric. 2003. Cornell University Press. 978-0-8014-4049-6.
  5. Book: Felber, Christian . Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie . 2010 . 978-3-552-06137-8 . de . Economy for the Common Good.
  6. Web site: Meilensteine - home. meilensteine.woergl.at.