Stans

Stans lies in the Unterinntal on the left bank of the Inn, close to Schwaz. The village spreads across a gravel cone left by the Stanser Bach. It has three main parts: Schlagturn, Stans itself, and Tratzberg. The countryside around it is shaped by the Inn valley and the nearby mountains. Most of the land is used for farming or small settlements. The name Stans first appears in a record from 827 when a local landowner gave property to a monastery. Traces of people living here go back to the first millennium BC. A hilltop settlement from the Iron Age was found, with buildings and fireplaces. Later, a church dedicated to Saints Lawrence and Ulrich was built in the 5th century. From the 15th century, Stans took part in the silver and copper mining around Schwaz. The castle Tratzberg, first mentioned in 1296, became a centre of power for several noble families before passing to the Enzenbergs in 1848. The old parish church and the newer neogothic Herz-Jesu-Kirche stand in the village. Above Stans is the small pilgrimage church Maria Tax, built in 1667. The Wolfsklamm gorge leads to the monastery of St. Georgenberg, a well-known pilgrimage site. Every ten years Stans holds a special form of door-to-door carolling in Advent. The village is also home to the Darbo fruit-juice company and the travel firm Travel Europe. A section of the Jakobsweg passes through the village on its way from Jenbach to Vomp.