Gasteiner Tal

Gastein Valley (Gasteiner Tal), province of Salzburg, 40 km long, valley of the Gasteiner Ache stream; starts in the glaciated main range of the Hohe Tauern mountains (Ankogel group) and is flanked by their lateral ridges. Naßfeld Valley from the south-west and Anlauftal valley from the east come together in the Gastein Valley. In the Naßfeld Valley is the skiing village Naßfeld-Sportgastein (alt. 1,589 m), which was established during the 1980s. In the uppermost passage of the Gastein valley, at Böckstein, lies the Salzburg portal to the Tauern tunnel. This railway tunnel joins the Gastein valley and the Seebachtal valley (Mallnitz) in Carinthia. Near Böckstein the Gasteiner Ache stream develops small waterfalls (Kesselfall, Bärenfall and Schleinfall), at Bad Gastein 85m and 63 m high. The three best known tourist destinations of the valley, Bad Gastein (alt.1,002 m), Bad Hofgastein (alt. 858 m) and Dorfgastein (alt. 830 m), lie on the Gasteiner Ache stream. The Tauern railway provides access to the Gastein valley, which runs into Salzachtal valley (Pongau region) at Lend. At Bad Hofgastein the average flow of the Gasteiner Ache is 9.9 m³/sec.