Kaprun Alpine Reservoirs
Address:
Nikolaus-Gassner-Strasse 321
5710 Salzburg, Austria
Phone:
065 47 20 0 19-23 2 01
NileGuide Expert tip:
Kaprun has a fun-park for kids, and there are kid-friendly activities at the reservoirs.
Description:
Sitting high in the mountains at the south of Salzburgland, the Kaprun high reservoirs generate 700 kWh a year, making an important contribution to the European power grid. Begun as a project begun by the Nazis that used slave labour during the war, the reservoirs were completed through the help of the Marshall Plan. Sitting like twin turquoise gems surrounded by breath-taking views, these glacier-fed reservoirs combine the mountains' natural beauty and human ingenuity. To reach them, start from Kaprun, about a two hours' drive from Salzburg. After parking in the free car park at the terminus of the road from Kaprun, take the bus to the base of the Lächwand elevator. This diagonal funicular, with a wide (over a metre) track, rises from 1,209 metres to where you'll board another bus at 1,640 metres elevation. This second bus journey takes you over a dramatic mountain ascent, past Alpine meadows where cows graze. You'll arrive at the second, higher, reservoir, elevation 2,040 metres. There you'll find breath-taking views of the reservoirs and the surrounding mountains. Small group tours, conducted in English, are well worth their modest price.
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