Rattenberg
Encyclopedia
Rattenberg, Austria
is a town on the Inn River
, near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck
. With a population of 440, it is the smallest town in the country.
Founded in the 14th century, it was built in the literal shadow of Rat Mountain to protect itself from marauder
s. The protection, however, comes at a price. Like an estimated 60 other communities nested in the Tyrol
region of the Alps
, Rattenberg receives little-to-no sunlight during the winter. It is one of the few places at a significant distance from the Arctic Circle
that has a time of permanent darkness.
In November 2005, the town announced they were building 30 specialized rotating mirrors called heliostat
s to reflect sunlight into parts of the town during the winter months. The $
2.4 million operation was suggested by Bartenbach Lichtlabor GmbH, a lighting design company. The EU plans to foot half the bill as of November 2005.
Rattenberg is known for its glass making. It has an abundance of crystal glass shops.
By January 2008, the heliostats that were to bring sunlight to Rattenberg, Austria still had not been constructed, according to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (298: 16, January 2008).
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...
is a town on the Inn River
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
, near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. With a population of 440, it is the smallest town in the country.
Founded in the 14th century, it was built in the literal shadow of Rat Mountain to protect itself from marauder
Marauder
A marauder is a bandit, outlaw, raider or such like who moves about in roving fashion looking for plunder.Other uses of marauder, usually derived from the above include:in " Football"...
s. The protection, however, comes at a price. Like an estimated 60 other communities nested in the Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
region of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Rattenberg receives little-to-no sunlight during the winter. It is one of the few places at a significant distance from the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
that has a time of permanent darkness.
In November 2005, the town announced they were building 30 specialized rotating mirrors called heliostat
Heliostat
A heliostat is a device that includes a mirror, usually a plane mirror, which turns so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a predetermined target, compensating for the sun's apparent motions in the sky. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direction in space...
s to reflect sunlight into parts of the town during the winter months. The $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.4 million operation was suggested by Bartenbach Lichtlabor GmbH, a lighting design company. The EU plans to foot half the bill as of November 2005.
Rattenberg is known for its glass making. It has an abundance of crystal glass shops.
By January 2008, the heliostats that were to bring sunlight to Rattenberg, Austria still had not been constructed, according to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (298: 16, January 2008).