Kaprun () is a municipality in the
Zell am See District
The Bezirk Zell am See is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pinzgau region ().
The area of the district is , with a population of 84,124 (May 15, 2001), and population dens ...
in the state of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. The town is a tourist destination known as "Zell am See-Kaprun" with the neighbouring
Zell am See
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...
and known for the glacier
Kitzsteinhorn
The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the High Tauern range of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria. It is part of the Glockner Group and reaches a height of AA. The Kitzsteinhorn Glaciers are a popular ski area.
Geography
The mountain is located n ...
.
Geography
It is located in the Pinzgau region on the northern slopes of the Alpine
Glockner Group
The Glockner Group Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, p.409, . (german: Glocknergruppe) is a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps in the Eastern Alps, and is located in the centre section of the High ...
with Mt.
Großes Wiesbachhorn
The Großes Wiesbachhorn () is a mountain in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria and, at (according to other sources ), is the third-highest peak of the Hohe Tauern range.
Its entirely free-standing firn-capped summit forms the main peak of t ...
, , part of the
Hohe Tauern
The High Tauern (plural, pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern bor ...
range, forming the border of Salzburg with
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
. Located at the foot of the
Kitzsteinhorn
The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the High Tauern range of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria. It is part of the Glockner Group and reaches a height of AA. The Kitzsteinhorn Glaciers are a popular ski area.
Geography
The mountain is located n ...
Glacier, Kaprun is a year-round sports centre. The Kapruner Ache creek joins the
Salzach
The Salzach (Austrian: ˆsaltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central E ...
River south of the settlement. The Mooserboden hydroelectric plant uses water from two reservoirs held back by some of Austria's largest dam walls. The reservoir area has become a tourist attraction, with views over the towns of Kaprun and
Zell am See
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...
. The visitors centre gives guided tours of the area. Tauern Spa World was completed in November 2010 and is the second largest spa complex in Austria. It is a two-hour transfer to resort from
Salzburg Airport
Salzburg Airport , branded as ''Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart'', is Austria's second largest airport. It serves Salzburg, the fourth-largest Austrian city, and is a gateway to Austria's numerous ski areas. The airport is loc ...
.
History
![Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn-memorial-sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn-memorial-sign.jpg)
A ''Chataprunnin'' (derived from
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
for "
whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
") settlement in the
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria (German: ''Herzogtum Bayern'') was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled by Bavarian tribes and ruled by dukes (''duces'') under Fr ...
was first mentioned in a 931 deed, documented as a possession held by the
Counts of Falkenstein Counts of Falkenstein may refer to:
*Counts of Falkenstein (Bavaria)
*Counts of Falkenstein (Rhineland-Palatinate)
{{disambiguation ...
in 1166. ''Chaprunne'' Castle was acquired by the
Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg
The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (german: Fürsterzbistum Salzburg; Erzstift Salzburg; Erzbistum Salzburg) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of ...
in 1287 and enfeoffed to the Lords of
Felben Felben is a village and former municipality in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland.
It was first recorded in year 1178 as ''Veluen''. In 1433 it was known as ''Felwan''.
The municipality had 200 inhabitants in 1850, which increased to 281 in 1900, ...
in 1338. Seat of a Salzburg
burgrave
Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especial ...
from 1480, it was devastated during the 1526
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
. In 1606 Archbishop
Wolf Dietrich Raitenau
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (26 March 1559 – 16 January 1617) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1587 to 1612.
Life
Raitenau was born at Hofen Castle in Lochau, near Bregenz in Further Austria, the son of the Habsburg colonel Hans Werne ...
had the local burgrave beheaded for siding with local insurgents. In the early 20th century the castle was a possession of Prince
Johann II of Liechtenstein
Johann II (Johann Maria Franz Placidus; 5 October 1840 – 11 February 1929), nicknamed the Good (german: Johann II. der Gute), was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929. His reign of 70 years and 91 days is the th ...
, who sold it in 1921. In the late 1920s the German
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...
company and the Salzburg state government developed plans for a Hohe Tauern
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...
power plant, including two
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s in the Kaprun Valley. Planning was discontinued during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
and was not resumed until the Austrian ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
'' to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in 1938. Commanded by
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
, construction began during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
using
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
from
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and other occupied countries and Jewish and Soviet
forced labourers. The inhumane conditions were depicted by Nobel laureate
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek (; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors writing in German today and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voi ...
in her 2003 play ''
Das Werk
''Das Werk'' (''The Works'', sometimes translated as ''The Plant'') is a play by the Nobel Prize winning Austrian playwright and novelist Elfriede Jelinek.
About
It premiered at the Akademietheater in Vienna on 11 April 2003, under the direct ...
''. Construction stopped in 1942/43, and was restarted after the war by
Allied-occupied Austria
The Allied occupation of Austria started on 8 May 1945 with the fall of Nazi Germany and ended with the Austrian State Treaty on 27 July 1955.
After the in 1938, Austria had generally been recognized as part of Nazi Germany. In 1943, however, ...
from 1947. Built with
Bucyrus equipment and massive help from the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
European Recovery Program, the power plant became an icon of
post-war
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
reconstruction. The
topping out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
ceremony was held on 23 September 1955, a few months after the signing of the
Austrian State Treaty
The Austrian State Treaty (german: Österreichischer Staatsvertrag ) or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying po ...
.
Gletscherbahnen
The
Kitzsteinhorn
The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the High Tauern range of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria. It is part of the Glockner Group and reaches a height of AA. The Kitzsteinhorn Glaciers are a popular ski area.
Geography
The mountain is located n ...
is accessed by the ''Gletscherbahn 1'', an
aerial lift
An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which ''cabins'', ''cars'', ''gondolas'', or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employ ...
in three sections, opened on 12 December 1965 to develop the area for glacier
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
. The lowest section, running from Kapruner Thoerl up to the Salzburg Hut, is 2028 metres long and climbs 970 metres in altitude. The second section, to the Krefeld Hut, climbs 554 metres. The third section, from the Krefeld Hut, is long and climbs 575 metres. This section includes the world's tallest
aerial lift pylon
An aerial lift pylon is a pylon construction bearing the cables of an aerial lift such as an aerial tramway or gondola lift. Large pylons of aerial tramways usually consist of a steel framework construction, smaller pylons of gondola lifts are m ...
, a steel framework construction 113.9 metres (originally 106 meters) high. This pillar was built in 1966 and has of a pipe of diameter in the center, in which a ladder and a maintenance elevator are installed.
''Gletscherbahn 2'' was a
funicular railway
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
with two carriages running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn which opened on 23 March 1974. This railway had the unusual
track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
of , and a length of , of which was through a tunnel. On 11 November 2000, it was the site of the
Kaprun disaster
The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending train in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending t ...
, in which 149 skiers lost their lives in a tunnel fire. Six more deaths occurred indirectly. Three died in the shop and restaurant because of smoke. The attendant in the burning train died with the 149 skiers. The smoke killed the attendant and the only passenger in the other identical train. Only twelve people survived the disaster. The tunnel and the funicular railway have remained closed since then. A memorial to the victims, located opposite the present valley station, was dedicated on 11 November, 2004.
See also
*
Kaprun disaster
The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending train in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending t ...
References
External links
Zell am See-Kaprun Tourist Office*
skyscraperpage.comPanoramic virtual tours of KaprunKaprun's 840MW hydroelectric station Kaprun ski resort news
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Zell am See District
Glockner Group
Holocaust locations in Austria