Obertauern is a tourist destination which is located in the
Radstädter Tauern in the
Salzburger Land of
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 winter sports resort is separated in two communities:
Tweng and
Untertauern.
Geography
![Obertauern Alps](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Obertauern_Alps.jpg)
Obertauern lies in the southeast of the state of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
in the
Radstädter Tauern mountains at heights of between 1,630 and 2,526 metres above sea level. The village is near to the highest point of the Radstädter Tauern Pass over which the Katschberg road (''Katschberger Straße'', the B 99) runs. Obertauern belongs to two districts: St. Johann/Pongau and Tamsweg, hence why the community is separated into the two municipalities of Untertauern (Pongau) and Tweng (Lungau). The municipal boundary runs at the height of the pass and hence through the centre of the village.
History
Celts and Romans
Obertauern has a long history, which goes back to the era of the Celts (4th – 1st century B.C.). Also, the Roman road led over the Tauern Pass (in Alpe) to
Iuvavum
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
(Salzburg). The tracks of old
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
wagons have been uncovered on this road. The relics of old milestones attest to Roman use of the pass. The upgrade of the road probably dates back to the time of the Emperor
Claudius (41-54).
Development of the village
The first definite mention of the Radstädter Tauern was in the year 1207. In 1224, the records note that there was already a small church at the top of the pass. In 1517, it is documented that there were two innkeepers on the Tauern, referring to the houses of Schaidberg and Wisenegg. These two buildings are still in good order today. In 1519, the road was widened for to take coaches and wagons. In 1764, Archbishop
Sigismund of Schrattenbach opened the posting house of Untertauern and there were two post runs per week. In 1870 this increased to four per week, and, in 1895, to twice daily. In 1902, the first skiers are recorded.
The tourist resort of Obertauern
In 1920, after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the first skiers came to Obertauern – on foot. Their baggage was transported by horse-drawn sleighs. From 1925 to 1927, the so-called Tauern races for cars and motorcycles took place, attracting many visitors. The people of Obertauern date the foundation of their village to 8 December 1929, because it was on that day that regular winter traffic over the Tauern Pass began for the first time. In 1948, the first lift was installed at the Seekarhaus. From 1948 to 1960, the slope was posted by skiers. For one hour of piste preparation, they got 3 free runs. Roads and avalanche protection were extended in 1950 and the first
button lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher- ...
s were built. The creation of the hotel village of Obertauern began in 1952. Between 1952 and 1961, a large number of modern
cable cars,
gondola lift
A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate sup ...
s and
drag lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...
s were installed.
From the 1960s to the present day
In 1961, the modern
cable car on the Zehnerkar was taken into service. In 1962, Obertauern became the official name of the village. One year later, the first motorised
piste basher in Austria started work in Obertauern and the pistes no longer had to be tamped down by foot by the skiers. At that time the "Skiing Comprehensive School" (''Schifahrende Volksschule'') became well-known; the school incorporating skiing in the afternoons, after following the normal timetable in the mornings.
In 1965, Obertauern was used by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
in their film, "
Help!
''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...
". The town was chosen as it was one of the few areas to have snow at the time.
1967 saw piste construction using
bulldozers took place for the first time. This resulted in radical changes to the terrain in order to make the runs easier to negotiate for piste maintenance equipment and also for a wider range of tourists. By linking several of the lifts, a precursor to the present day Tauern Circuit (''Tauernrunde'') was created.
In 1985 the first
snow cannon
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...
was installed and in the years that followed numerous drag lifts and
chair lift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
s were replaced. Between 1991 and 1998 many modernization projects were completed – such as the floodlit ski slope and the introduction of the contactless ski pass system. In December 1999, the German, Christian Flühr, set the world marathon skiing record in Obertauern – skiing for three days non-stop (68 hours and 23 minutes). This is the distance between America and Europe. One season later, in February 2001, Christian Flühr set the world record again by skiing for more than 4 days (103 hours and 21 minutes) non-stop. Later, he beat this world record several times but in other locations.
Obertauern has also established itself as one of the top après ski resorts in Austria. The Edelweißalm and the area around the Lürzer Alm are internationally renowned.
Cemetery of the Unknown
At the top of the pass is the Cemetery of the Unknown (''Friedhof der Namenlosen''). The name comes from the time when people crossed the Tauern Pass on foot with poor clothing and equipment, often in bad weather, losing their lives as a result. Often these travellers could not be identified and were thus buried "nameless". Today it is the cemetery for the population of the ski village of Obertauern.
Winter sport in Obertauern
Skiing and snowboarding
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 ( ...
is the most popular sporting activity in Obertauern, followed by
snowboarding. The ski region has around 100 kilometres of prepared pistes and 26 lifts that are capable of transporting 48,000 - 49,000 people per hour. The area is served by 1 gondola, 19 chair lifts and 6 drag lifts, and has 100 km of runs.
The pistes are graded using a colour scheme: blue (61%) for easy runs, red (35%) for runs of medium difficulty and black (4%) for difficult pistes, the piste alongside the Gamsleiten 2 lift being the second steepest run in Austria. All the lifts will take non-skiers to the top as well, but only the Zehnerkarbahn and Grünwaldkopfbahn will take passengers down again. Daytime visitors may park on the 24,000 m
2 of car parks in the vicinity of the slopes. The ''Liftgemeinschaft Obertauern'' (LGO) is responsible for all the lifts.
The Tauern Circuit
Because the lifts are laid out in a circle around the village, it is possible to do a "Tauern Circuit" (''Tauernrunde''), either clockwise (following the red signs) or anti-clockwise (following the green signs). To cross the B 99 (''Katschberg-Straße'') there are ski bridges by the Gamsleiten/Edelweiß, Kirchbühel (two bridges) and Grünwaldkopf/Zehnerkar pistes. The circuit may begin at any lift and returns the skier to the start. Good signposting also enables pistes outside the circuit to be skied.
Cross-country skiing
In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, Obertauern offers other winter sport activities. Visitors may used the 26 kilometres of cut
cross-country skiing tracks, including one used for the world cup, as well as hiking trails.
Ski passes
Obertauern has its own ski pass that, since the 2012/13 season, is also valid for the Großeck-Speiereck ski region some 15 kilometres away. The Lungo Ski Pass (for the Obertauern - Lungau - Katschberg region) and the "Super Salzburg Ski Card" (Salzburger Land) are also valid, but not the
Ski Amadé
The Ski Amadé region of Austria is a network of 28 ski areas and towns that combined, make up the second largest ski area in Europe.largest ski domain is Dolomiti Superski It is named after the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was born in the ...
pass.
Summer tourism
In summer, Obertauern is a popular base for numerous hiking trails because the village lies on the Central Alpine Way (''Zentralalpenweg''). The two
Alpine hut
A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...
s, ''Oberhütte'' towards
Styria and the ''Südwiener Hütte'' in the direction of
Flachau
Flachau is a village in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian state of Salzburg, with a population of 2,802 (2016 data). Its numerous skiing facilities are part of the Ski Amadé network of ski areas, one of the largest in Europe.
...
may be reached in 2 hours on foot.
In August and September, motorcycle gatherings take place.
However, Obertauern is mostly a winter resort and many hotels and businesses are closed in the summertime.
Obertauern sports centre
Obertauern has a sports centre (the ''Sportzentrum Obertauern'') where visitors may play various sports. Facilities include: 2 tennis indoor courts, 3 squash courts, 1 badminton court, 3 fully automatic bowling alleys, a bodybuilding and fitness room with a cardio area, a multi-purpose hall as well as a billiards facility. There is also a big vitality centre (600 square metres) and
sports medical advice is available. In earlier times, famous sportsmen like
Hermann Maier
Hermann Maier (born 7 December 1972) is an Austrian former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the "Herminator", Maier ranks among the greatest alpine ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup tit ...
and
Michael Walchhofer
Michael Walchhofer (born 28 April 1975) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria.
Biography
Walchhofer was born in Radstadt, Salzburg, Austria, and started his career in slalom, but then moved over to the speed events. During his ca ...
trained in this centre between races.
Heinz Schilchegger, a world-class skier, is also from Obertauern.
Flora and fauna
Obertauern is also popular with scientists and friends of nature. In this region you can find the rare red-breasted
bluethroat
The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small Europea ...
.
References
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Ski areas and resorts in Austria
Tourist attractions in Salzburg (state)
Geography of Salzburg (state)