The Unicorn in Seefeld

Did you know that there is a unicorn on Seefeld's coat of arms?

It can be spotted all over Seefeld – for example at the northern entrance to the village, or right in the centre in front of the bandstand, in the form of a large iron statue.

But what does the unicorn have to do with Seefeld?

Born in the 14th century, around 1330, there was a notorious figure shrouded in legend by the name of Oswald von Milser. He originally came from the lower Inn Valley and was based in Mils near Imst.

Over the years, Oswald Milser – who is also venerated as a holy martyr – supported the Dukes of Austria, better known as the Habsburgs, in taking over rule of the County of Tyrol in 1363 in their struggle against the Dukes of Bavaria (the Wittelsbachs). Milser was among the defenders of the Mieming Plateau.

On Maundy Thursday in 1384, during the Easter mass, he demanded the large host that was reserved for the priest alone, in order to demonstrate his power and superiority. Thereupon he sank knee-deep into the ground, and when he begged the priest to remove the sacred host again, blood was visible at the points where the host had been touched. You can still experience traces of this breathtaking event today in the pilgrimage church of St. Oswald in Seefeld: ceiling paintings and a hole in the floor beside the altar bear witness to it. What is more, the sacred host touched by Oswald Milser at the time still exists today, kept in a golden monstrance and safely enclosed within the walls of the church.

The unicorn on Seefeld's municipal coat of arms comes from the heraldic animal of the Milser family. The municipality has borne the animal in its coat of arms since 1946. Ever since, alongside the small listed church known as the "Seekirchl Heilig Kreuz", it has been the emblem of Seefeld.