Page 238 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

236  A USTRIA REGION B Y REGION

u Kaprun Environs: South of Zell am
See is the Hohe Tauern
Road map D4. * 3,000. @
n (06547) 8080. ∑ zellamsee- mountain range and national
kaprun.com park (see pp282–5), to the north
the rugged scenery of the
Together with its neighbour, Steiner nes Meer (Stone Sea) and
Zell am See, Kaprun makes up to the west the Schmittenhöhe,
one of the largest ski regions divided into the Sonnkogel and
in Austria. The 140 km (87 miles) Hirschkogel regions, with the
of inter-connected ski slopes highest peak rising to over
offer superb modern facilities 2,000 m (6,562 ft).
and spectacular views of the The Pinz gauer Spaziergang
lake below. The slopes are is one of the most beautiful
dominated by the Kitzsteinhorn walking trails in the Austrian
glacier (3,203 m/10,509 ft), Alps, running at an altitude of
which is open for skiing ten about 1,000 m (3,280 ft) above
months of the year. The region the valley floor, from Zell am See
is renowned for its tough runs Inside St Hippolytus church in Zell am See to Saalbach via Schmittenhöhe
but there are family and begin ner (a 7-hour walk).
areas. For the adventurous, i Zell am See
there are nighttime ski runs on Road map C4. * 9,500. £
the Schmitten slopes and a @ Tel (06542) 770. o Saalbach
number of snowboard parks Road map C4. * 2,900. £ @
with jumps, rails and pipes. This picture-postcard town on n Glemmtaler Landesstrasse 550,
In 2000, Kaprun was the scene the western shores of Zeller See (06541) 6800-68. ∑ saalbach.com
of a dreadful mountain tragedy has a long history. First recorded
when a funicular carrying snow- as the Roman settlement of At the heart of the Glemmtal lies
boarders up to the Kitzsteinhorn Bisontio, in medieval times Zell this small town marking the
caught fire inside a rock tunnel. was a mining centre. Among its border between Salzburger
The incident resulted in 155 more interesting historic sights Land and Tyrol. A charming
deaths, and the tunnel has since are the 13th-century Vogtturm, winter resort, linked to Hinter-
been sealed and replaced with and the church of St Hippolytus glemm, Leogang and Fieber-
cable cars. The disaster was (St Hippolyte), which once brunn, with guaranteed snow, it
commemorated in the 2003 belonged to the Augustinian provides access to 200 km (120
play In der Alpen, written by order. There are some interesting miles) of pistes, with beginner
Austria’s Nobel Prize for Litera- medieval frescoes: the figures of and more challenging runs, and
ture winner Elfriede Jelinek. Saints George and Florian in the facilities for tobogganing and
Aside from its renowned ski western gallery are by an artist tubing. Exciting as the winter
slopes, Kaprun is also famous for from the Danube School. sports are, the resort claims to
its sophisticated hydro electric Zell am See, connected to the be the home of lässig, an
power station, Kapruner Ache. slopes of Kaprun to form a Austrian concept perhaps best
Construction of the power single skiing region, is translated as “contentment”.
station began in 1938 and was considered one of the best- To the north of Saalbach the
completed in 1951. Acclaimed developed sports resorts in Spielberghorn comes into
as an engineering marvel, the Austria, with excellent facilities. view, while to the south the
power station is not only a Schattberg marks the end of the
technological wonder, it is also a Pinzgauer Spaziergang. This trail
major tourist attraction, offering (see above) affords breathtaking
great views over the towns of views over the neighbouring
Kapun and Zell am See. Artificial mountain range. The view from
lakes, weirs and dams, set amid Rohrertörl Pass (1,918 m/6,293
the rocky limestone peaks of ft) embraces the town of
the Hohe Tauern mountain Saalbach and the valley.
range, create a unique natural
environ ment, with numerous
trails and attractive scenery for p Lofer
walkers. The highest artificial Road map C4. * 2,000. £ @
lake is Mooserboden, situated n Lofer Nr. 310, (06588) 8321.
at 2,036 m (6,680 ft) and fed by ∑ lofer.com
the melting ice of the Pasterze
glacier. It was after the building The town of Lofer, in the green
of the power station that Salzach valley, has retained much
Kaprun became one of Austria’s Charming, flower-bedecked houses of the charm of an old mountain
foremost sports resorts. in Saalbach village. It is surrounded by the
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp297–8 and pp322–3

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