The Saalach is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

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 ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and a left tributary of the Salzach.

Course

The river begins, as the stream, in the Austrian state of

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

in the Kitzbühel Alps at the lake below the high

Gamshag The Gamshag is a mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol whose summit reaches a height of . The Gamshag is located northwest of the ''Torsee'' lake, the source of the River Saalach. The prominent peak of the ''Tristkogel'' ...

. From there it flows initially eastwards through the valley, through

Hinterglemm Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is well known for its skiing and other winter sports. A four piste network consisting of Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Fieberbru ...

, then the ski resort of Saalbach – at the latest from there it is known as the ''Saalach'' – until it bends north at

Maishofen Maishofen is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg in Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying ...

. It follows the broad valley to Saalfelden, and meanders further on through the narrow valley between the Leoganger and

Loferer Steinberge The Lofer Mountains or Loferer MountainsHeuss, Theodor (1955). ''Preludes to life: early memoirs'', University of Michigan, p. 143. (german: Loferer Steinberge, lit. "Lofer Rock Mountains") are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps in th ...

and the

Steinernes Meer The Steinernes Meer (literally "Rocky Sea") is a high karst plateau in the Northern Limestone Alps. As one of the nine sub-ranges of the Berchtesgaden Alps the Steinernes Meer belongs partly to Bavaria and partly to Salzburg. Location To the no ...

Lofer Lofer is a market town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Geography Lofer is located in the historic Pinzgau region, in the valley of the Saalach river between the Chiemgau Alps and Reiter Alpe in the north and eas ...

in north-western direction. There it enters a narrow gorge, famous for its white water rafting. Crossing the border to

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

(Germany) at Melleck (part of

Schneizlreuth Schneizlreuth is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany. History In 1285 an estate in the area was called Schnaezenreut. This is the earliest the town's name can be traced. The m ...

) it flows along the northern slopes of the

Reiter Alpe The Reiter Alpe (also ''Reiter Alm'' or ''Reither Steinberge'') is a mountain range of the Berchtesgaden Alps, named after the village Reit. it is located on the German–Austrian border in Bavaria, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. Geography Major ...

known for its climbing routes. A short distance before Bad Reichenhall, a dam of a hydro-electrical power plant collects the waters of the . The power plant provides the energy for the railway line

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 ...

, Freilassing, Bad Reichenhall to

Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...

. Having passed Staufeneck, the Saalach leaves the mountains and enters the flat forests called Saalachau. From

Piding Piding is an approved climatic spa in Bavaria near to the border of Austria close to Bad Reichenhall and Freilassing. Geography Geographical position Piding is located in the middle of the ''Landkreis'' Berchtesgadener Land. The municipal area ...

on north-eastwards, the Austria–Germany border follows the river for some to Freilassing, at which it merges with the river Salzach. The name has its origin from , an old form of (salt), and which denotes a small river.

References

Rivers of Bavaria Rivers of Tyrol (state) International rivers of Europe Rivers of Salzburg (state) Austria–Germany border Kitzbühel Alps Salzburg Slate Alps Chiemgau Alps Rivers of Austria Rivers of Germany Border rivers {{Germany-river-stub