Kaprun
Encyclopedia
Kaprun is a small alpine village in the district of Zell am See in the state of Salzburg
, Austria
. At the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn
Glacier, it is a year round sports centre, with a population of 2,903 (2001).
The town is also known for its power plant. The construction began during World War II
by prisoners of war from Belgium and other occupied countries. It was finished after the war.
One of the dams for the power plant bears an inscription:
ERP - Erbaut mit Marshallplan hilfe
(ERP (European Recovery Program) - built with help from the Marshall Plan
).
In 2000, it was the site of the Kaprun disaster
, in which 155 skiers lost their lives in a tunnel fire.
Tauern Spa World was completed in November 2010, and is the second largest spa complex in Austria.
.
The visitors centre gives guided tours of the area.
, which has the tallest cable car support tower in the world. Gletscherbahn 2 was a funicular
railway with two carriages, which has not reopened since the Kaprun disaster
.
from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn, opened in 1974. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 millimeters, and a length of 3900 meters, of which 3300 meters was through a tunnel. It has remained closed since the train caught fire
on November 11, 2000, in which 155 people were killed.
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. At the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn
Kitzsteinhorn
The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the main chain of the Alps in the district of Kaprun, Salzburg, Austria. The Kitzsteinhorn is part of the Hohe Tauern range in the eastern Alps and reaches a height of above sea level. It was first climbed in 1828 by Johann Entacher.The summit can be reached...
Glacier, it is a year round sports centre, with a population of 2,903 (2001).
The town is also known for its power plant. The construction began during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by prisoners of war from Belgium and other occupied countries. It was finished after the war.
One of the dams for the power plant bears an inscription:
ERP - Erbaut mit Marshallplan hilfe
(ERP (European Recovery Program) - built with help from the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
).
In 2000, it was the site of the Kaprun disaster
Kaprun disaster
The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending railway car in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn 2 railway in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors from the burning car...
, in which 155 skiers lost their lives in a tunnel fire.
Tauern Spa World was completed in November 2010, and is the second largest spa complex in Austria.
Mooserboden
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, giving spectacular views over the towns of Kaprun and Zell am SeeZell am See
Zell am See is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The city has about 10,000 inhabitants.Zell am See is a tourist destination and a transportation hub for the region...
.
The visitors centre gives guided tours of the area.
Gletscherbahn
The Kitzsteinhorn ski area is accessed by the Gletscherbahn 1 aerial tramwayAerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
, which has the tallest cable car support tower in the world. Gletscherbahn 2 was a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
railway with two carriages, which has not reopened since the Kaprun disaster
Kaprun disaster
The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending railway car in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn 2 railway in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors from the burning car...
.
Gletscherbahn 1
Gletscherbahn 1 is an aerial tramway in three sections, opened in 1967. The lowest section, Kapruner Thoerl to the Hut of Salzburg, is 2,028 meters long and climbs 970 meters. The second section, to the Krefelder Hutte, climbs 554 meters. The third section, from the Krefelder Hutte, is 2192 meters long and climbs 575 meters. This section uses the tallest support pillar of any aerial tramway, a steel framework construction 113.9 meters (originally 106 meters) high. This pillar was built in 1966 and has of a pipe of 2.2 meters diameter in the center, in which a ladder and a maintenance elevator are installed. For more details, see Glacial Aerial Tramway Kaprun IIIGlacial Aerial Tramway Kaprun III
The Glacial Aerial Tramway Kaprun III is the third section of the aerial tramway on the Kitzsteinhorn mountain at Kaprun, Austria. It was placed in service on 26 November 1966....
Gletscherbahn 2
Gletscherbahn 2 was a funicular railwayFunicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn, opened in 1974. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 millimeters, and a length of 3900 meters, of which 3300 meters was through a tunnel. It has remained closed since the train caught fire
Kaprun disaster
The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending railway car in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn 2 railway in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors from the burning car...
on November 11, 2000, in which 155 people were killed.
External links
- Zell am See-Kaprun Tourist Office
- http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b46005
- Panoramic virtual tours of Kaprun