Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein (name written as Badgastein until 1996), province of Salzburg, municipality in the district of St. Johann, alt. 1002 m, pop. 5,662, area 170.60 km², spa and winter sports centre in the valley of the Gasteiner Ache river, at the foot of Graukogel Mountain (2,492 m); leading medicinal spa in Austria, radioactive thermal springs (47° C, drinking and bathing cures, treatment of rheumatic diseases) that issue at the foot of Graukogel mountain and are piped into the baths for therapeutical use; hydropathic centre with thermal indoor pool, Felsenbad (thermal indoor and outdoor pool carved out of the rock), hydropathic hospice, Böckstein therapy tunnel (2,600 m long former mining drift with hydrotherapy stations, 37-42° C), numerous therapy centres, congress centre, museum (with 75 kg heavy rock-crystal), Gastein Research Institute (run by the Austrian Academy of Sciences), casino, golf-course, Elisabeth park, storage power stations Böckstein (built 1981, capacity 106,840 megawatt-hours) and Naßfeld-Böckstein (built 1982, capacity 12,940 megawatt-hours), waterfall of the Gasteiner Ache river in the town, cable railway to the Stubnerkogel Mountain (2,246 m), skiing area Sportgastein in the Naßfeld Valley; tourism (1,094,974 overnight stays). Has been documented as a watering place since the middle of the 14^th century. The erection of a palace by the prince-archbishop of the city of Salzburg (Badeschloß, 1791-1793) led to the first economic upswing, while, in the second half of the 19^th century, eminent patrons brought the town world renown. Many hotels, parish church (1866-1876); Gothic St. Nikolaus church (1389) with late Gothic frescoes (1480), Protestant church (1868-1872), house "Meran" (1830, villa of Archduke Johann).

Literature: H. von Zimburg, Geschichte Gasteins und des Gasteiner Tales, 1948; W. Schaup-Weinberg, Badgastein. Die Geographie eines Weltkurortes, doctoral thesis, Salzburg 1968; 500 Jahre Badehospiz Badgastein, 1989.