St Johann im Pongau - in the heart of the Austrian city of Salzburg, the capital of the region Pongau. The city is home to more than 10 thousand people, and it is the most populous city in the region. The town lies in the valley of the River Salzach.

Studies show that the first settlements in the territory appeared around the second millennium BC The first written mention of the land dates back to the year 1074.

During the Peasant War of 1525-26 years the city was destroyed. After the expulsion of Protestants from the archbishopric of Salzburg, which reached its apogee in 1731, 2,500 people left the city.

In the 19th century there were raging fires and the old buildings of the city is almost nothing left. Neo-Gothic church of St. John the Baptist was built in 1861 by architects Georg Schneider and Joseph Bezek. Nearby preserved chapel of St. Anne, where you can see a carved altar of the 16th century and a late Gothic wooden sculptures of saints.

From 1941 until the end of the Second World War in Pongau housed the POW camp. The construction of the camp was completed in the winter of 1941, he served in the territory of 8 hectares and was divided into zones (North Camp, South Camp). The camp contained up to 30,000 people, which was guarded by about 1,000 employees. The prisoners of the Western powers, for example, the French, were held in the southern camp and the camp in the North were placed Soviet prisoners of war. Until now, there is a "Russian Cemetery", the resting place of about 3,700 people. The cemetery is located on the slope of a highway north of the freeway interchanges and V311.

St Johann im Pongau is very popular among tourists because of its proximity to the Alps. In winter, the resort is an important tourist destination with many hotels and restaurants. In summer it is possible to make bike tours on special routes, and relax on the lake.

Five kilometers south of the city along the picturesque gorge Lihtenshtaynklamm flowing mountain stream.