Seefeld in Tirol is an old farming village, now a major tourist resort, in
Innsbruck-Land District in the
Austrian state of
Tyrol with a local population of 3,312 (as at 1 Jan 2013). The village is located about northwest of
Innsbruck on a
plateau between the
Wetterstein mountains and the
Karwendel on an
historic road from
Mittenwald to Innsbruck that has been important since the
Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in 1022 and since the 14th century has been a
pilgrimage site, benefiting not only from the visit of numerous
pilgrims but also from its
stacking rights as a trading station between
Augsburg and the
Venice. Also since the 14th century,
Tyrolean shale oil has been extracted in the area. Seefeld was a popular holiday resort even before 1900 and, since the 1930s, has been one a well known
winter sports centres and amongst the most popular
tourist resorts in Austria. The municipality, which has been the venue for several
Winter Olympics Games, is the home village of
Anton Seelos, the inventor of the
parallel turn.