1811
Foundation stone laid for the hospital
On 18 March 1811, Dean Nikolaus Tolentin Schuler laid the foundation stone for the first hospital at Stollangerle in Zams. At his own expense, he erected a two-story building with 15 rooms to care for the poor and sick. The care was initially provided by girls and women from the surrounding area.
However, it soon became clear that trained personnel were needed for care. Katharina Lins, a young woman from Zams, was sent on foot to the Sisters of Mercy in Strasbourg for this purpose. There she trained as a nurse. In 1823, Katharina returned to Zams to pass on her knowledge and the associated values to others. To this day, the Sisters of Mercy support and shape Zams Hospital.
Historical drawing of the hospital. Part of the village of Zams can also be seen.
1870
Setback due to arson
The build-up phase was followed by a setback: in 1870, the entire hospital fell victim to arson. With great effort, the then Mother Superior, Sr. Borgias Aloys, rebuilt the Mutterhaus on the valley floor and the hospital on the Galuggabhang slope. In the following years, the construction of the Arlberg Railway (1880-1884) and later World War I repeatedly pushed the hospital and its staff to their limits.
1934
Additions / modernisation
From 1930 to 1934, the hospital was extensively expanded and modernised with the addition of the round building (House 1) and the isolation building. With just one doctor, around 2,200 patients could be cared for each year.
1939
War years / military hospital
During the war years (1939-1945), almost the entire house had to be converted into a military hospital. To protect the patients and staff, numerous tunnels were cut into the rock of the Galugg. Even a makeshift operating room was set up in the mountain.
Two nuns care for a patient on a stretcher during the war years.
1945
Reconstruction
After the war, the hospital was once again made available to the regional population. Under Mother Superior Sr. Dr. Bernardina Außerhofer, from 1945 to 1985, the focus was on the further development of medical and nursing care. To this end, the nuns founded a health and nursing school.
1991
Comprehensive refurbishment / New House 2
In 1991, for the first time with the involvement of local communities and the state, extensive renovation measures and the construction of House 2 were commissioned under Mother Superior Sr. Dr. M. Dominika Moosbrugger.
2013
Opening of the St. Vinzenz Education Centre
In the years that followed, education and training became increasingly important alongside medical and nursing care. The health and nursing school was built in 2011 and opened under the name "St. Vinzenz Bildungszentrum" in 2013.
2017
New House 4, House 5
Under the leadership of Mother Superior Sr. Mag.a Dr. Maria Gerlinde Kätzler, Houses 4 and 5 were constructed. The underground parking garage and the psychiatric day clinic were completed in 2017. Architect DI Friedrich Falch was responsible for the planning and implementation of the construction measures.
2021
Extension of House 3
The Extension of House 3 is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the Oberland region. Commissioning will take place in stages from December 2019, initially with three operating rooms, outpatient areas with registration and waiting zones as well as the recovery and intensive care unit.
The new entrance and waiting area, the general surgical ward, the special surgical class, the Psychiatric Ward and the heilBar kiosk and cafeteria were opened in spring 2021. In 2022, the barrier-free access with pedestrian bridge to the central building entrance was finalised.
2023
Refurbishment of House 1
From April to December 2023, extensive renovation work will take place in House 1 in the former surgery area. In total, the Sisters of Mercy, the state of Tirol and the municipalities in the districts of Imst and Landeck will invest around 108.9 million euros at the Zams site by 2023. This makes the St. Vinzenz Zams hospital one of the largest medical infrastructure projects in Tirol.