3 thrilling legends of Saalbach Hinterglemm

The legends, stories and special weather phenomena that exist in the Glemm Valley date back to a time when rules, observations of nature and various stories were mostly passed on orally from one generation to the next.

Even today, people remember the "stories of the past". Many are funny, some are scary, and a few were told to keep the children in the house at night. This Saalbach story is about 3 thrilling legens of Saalbach Hinterglemm. A journey through time into the world of the locals in times gone by ...

"The Wild Woman of the Reiterkogel"

On the Reiterkogel in Hinterglemm, a rock crevice reminds us of the "White Women". The so-called "Uwe holes" or also "Hummi holes"¹ were inhabited by wild women. The entrance to the gorge was blockaded with an iron door. According to legend, one of the women fetched fresh milk every morning from the nearby pepper farmer. The milk jug that the woman placed on the well was filled every day. When she came for the last time, she left her footprint on a stone. She said these words in thanks: "As long as the footprint is visible, the wealth from the pepper will not leave either." The pepper farmer then fetched the iron door from the "Uwe-holes" and had it put in the storeroom. The footprint and the iron door are said to still be visible today at the Pfeffergut, which is situated on the sunny side of the Glemmtal Valley, is a beautiful farm with a magnificent view. The "Uwe holes" are now part of Mount Kodok and can be explored with the whole family!

The "Schlaberstatt saga"

On the "Pfonteben", a high terrace at an altitude of 1,700 metres at the Talschluss (end of the valley), the "Schlaberstatt-Kirchtag" (church day) took place regularly. The young people danced, played music, and made one or two wedding plans. Once a stranger came and played his pipe loudly and wildly so that everyone whirled around in circles. But when they saw the strange musician making indentations in the stone slab as he tapped his beat, they realised that it was the devil in the flesh who was playing for them to dance and hammering with his goat's foot. Another time the devil had been involved - this time disguised as a dancer. After these eerie events, no blade of grass grew there for many years.

The Saalbach Cemetery Saga

A man in Saalbach once heard that if you pulled a sledge around the church on a Raunacht day in the witching hour between 00:00 and 01:00, you would have "money and riches enough" for the rest of your life. And so, he set out and dared the walk with a "Ziachschlittn"². Just in time for the midnight chime. The man entered the cemetery and trudged through the snow. When he almost thought he was safe, a ghost scurried out of a grave and sat on his sledge. But that was not enough - little by little many ghosts gathered on the sledge, and the sledge became heavier and heavier.

The man became frightened, and so he let go of the sleigh shortly before the time was up, dashed through the cemetery gate and finally stumbled over the church steps. Since he did not dare to go back to the cemetery, his friends wanted to retrieve the sledge and lost jacket the next day. But the effort was in vain. Everything was torn to shreds and scattered on the graves.