Kaprun

Kaprun is an Austrian commune of the area of Pinzgau in the Land of Salzburg. It is located at an altitude of 786 Mr. the village is a tourist place at two seasons with ski of summer on Kitzsteinhorn.

Kaprun is also famous for its hydroelectric stopping. The construction of the stopping started during the Second world war and finishes after the war. On one of the stoppings, there is an inscription: ERP - Erbaut put Marshallplan hilfe (ERP (European Program Recovery) - built using the Marshall plan).

In 2000, the village was the place of a serious accident of funicular: 155 skiers died in a fire in a tunnel.

Geography

Kaprun is established with the foot of Hohe the Tauern in the territory of the assembly line of Glockner. Parts of the commune belong to the national park of Hohe the Tauern. Some mountains of more than 3000 meters are on the territory of the commune: Kitzsteinhorn (3425 m), Großer Bärenkopf (3396 m), Klockerin (3425 m), Großes Wiesbachhorn (3564 m). One estimates the population of Kaprun at approximately 3000 inhabitants (2.958 inhabitants in 2007).

Economy and Tourism

The communes of Kaprun and Zell amndt See jointly form Europa Sportregion Zell amndt See - Kaprun, one of the most important tourist sites of Austria. One can practice the ski all the year on the glacier of Kitzsteinhorn. Moreover of Kitzsteinhorn, they exist the skiables fields of Maiskogel with Kaprun and Schmittenhöhe with Zell amndt See - on the whole, Europa Sportregion offers 130 kilometers of tracks, of which approximately 40 km can be snow-covered artificially. Kaprun in addition has 200 km of basic ski slopes which start in Zell amndt See (Schüttdorf).

The second economic independent factor in addition to tourism is the powerplant. The hydroelectric stopping of Glockner-Kaprun plays a very important part in the electric provisioning of Austria and it is a symbol of the rebuilding after the Second world war.

History

The name of Kaprun is resulting from the Celtic name Chataprunnin (water wild) and its first mention dated February 9th, 931 in the Odalberti codex. Kaprun was, during several centuries, a village of peasants of mountain. In 1166, the goods with Kaprun of the owners of the strong castle of Falkenstein-Neuburg were mentioned in the Falkensteinensis codex.

The economic expansion started with the completion of work of the hydroelectric station in 1955. Kitzsteinhorn was the first skiable field on a glacier with being created in Austria with the construction of the teleferic of Kitzsteinhorn in 1963-1965.

Policy

Since December 1st, 1998, Mr Norbert Karlsböck, since 2006 also chief technical officer of the company of the ski lifts, Gletscherbahn, is the mayor of Kaprun.

Tourist monuments and places

Dam Kaprun

This famous spectacular hydroelectric stopping is a tourist curiosity which offers guided visits and a museum on the history of the stopping.

The strong castle of Kaprun

The ruin of the castle of Kaprun with its vault was restored in 1975. It is the greatest ruin of Pinzgau. Today, the strong castle is used for cultural events.

The throat Sigmund Thun

This natural monument a depth going up to 32 meters was formed by a glacier which slowly ran towards the valley it there approximately 14.000 years.

Museums

The museum of the inheritance - located in the park of Hohenwarter The museum of the old cars “Vötter”

The parish church

The church was romanisée in 1898 and it has a high altar neogothic.

Sites official

- Web site of the commune Kaprun
- Europa-Sportregion Zell amndt See-Kaprun

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