Grossarl
Grossarl (Großarl) is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in western central Austria. The valley Grossarltal got its name from Grossarl. Geography. Location. The market town is located in the Grossarl Valley in Pongau, south of the city of Salzburg. It is divided in the districts (north to south) Au ( AMSL), Schied (860 m), Unterberg (), Großarl (895 m) as well as Eben and Bach (900 m). Politics. Local politics. Mayor is Johann Rohrmoser (ÖVP), Vice Mayor is Johann Ganitzer (SPÖ). Coat of arms. Grossarl got its coat of arms  in 1965. It is a green uprooted alder on white ground. The illustration of the alder accords to the old German name of the market town "Arla". In 1339, Grossarl was mentioned as the valley with "merern Arel", what means "many alders". The sign of the alder shows the big tree clearings in the valley from the 11th to the 13th century. It also shows the big meaning of the wood industry in the valley. Some people say that it is also a symbol for the attachment of the inhabitants to the valley and its leaves show many children which  were born in Grossarl. Economy and infrastructure. Grossarl is a very touristic oriented market town. The number of guest beds is at about 4,500 and it has hotels and hostels in all categories. Very impressive is the high density of 4-star hotels. Because of the 40 alpine cottages, Grossarl is also called "the valley of alpine cottages", in German "Das Tal der Almen". Over the years, many small and medium enterprises settled down in the valley and became important employers for citizens of Grossarl (carpenter, bricklayer and earth-moving companies, etc.)