On a peninsula-like alluvial bar in the Schmittelbach lies Zell am See (758m/2,487ft; pop. 8,000), the chief town of the Pinzgau and now one of the principal resorts in Salzburg province (lake side swimming pool, health and winter sports resort). The town was founded by monks from Salzburg c. 740, when it was known as "Cella in Bisoncio". It has
a fine parish church of St Hippolyte, originally Romanesque, with two frescos of Apostles (c. 1200) and a Late Gothic west gallery. Also of interest are the Vogtturm (13th C.) in the Stadtplatz with the Municipal Museum, and the Renaissance Schloss Rosenberg (16th C.), now the town hall. To the northwest of the town lies the Kur- und Sportzentrum, with an indoor swimming pool, a sauna and an ice rink. Nearby is the lower station of the Schmittelhöhebahn.