Tauern Railway

The Tauern Railway Tunnel (German: Tauerntunnel) in Austria is the longest tunnel of the Tauern Railway crossing the main chain of the Alps. Currently, it has a length of 8.371 kilometres (5.201 mi). The highest point of the tunnel, which is also the highest point in all of the railway line, is at 1,226 metres (4,022 ft) above sea level. The tunnel's north entrance is at Böckstein in the valley of Bad Gastein in the state of Salzburg, while the south entrance is near Mallnitz in Carinthia. The construction of the Tauern Railway Tunnel was first mooted during the late nineteenth century, although actual work on its construction was started in July 1902. The excavation was performed via a labour intensive process by a mostly Italian workforce overseen by the civil engineer Karl Wurmb. It was effectively finished during 1906, and formally opened three years later by Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. While trains were initially operated by steam locomotives, the tunnel and wider line alike were electrified during the interwar period, after which it was almost exclusively operated by electric traction instead. One particularly noteworthy service that has long used the Tauern Railway Tunnel was the Autoschleuse or Tauern Motorail car shuttle train service, launched amid the First World War, which carries motor vehicles between either side of the tunnel via specialised trains. Various road vehicles from buses and lorries to bikes can be carried upon cars designed to facilitate their rapid loading and unloading. On 12 August 1947, a bomb exploded under a British military train carrying 175 people from London to Villach in close proximity to the tunnel. Between 2000 and 2004, the Tauern tunnel underwent extensive renovation works, which included the shortening of the tunnel and the relocation of the northern entrance, the replacement of much of the rail infrastructure present, and new fire management systems being installed.

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1958 were held 1–9 February in Bad Gastein, Salzburg, Austria.Austrian Toni Sailer, 22, won three gold medals and a silver. The triple gold medalist from the 1956 Winter Olympics successfully defended three of his four world titles. Lucile Wheeler of Canada, 23, won two gold medals and a silver.

Stappitzer See is an Alpine lake in the Hohe Tauern mountain range near Mallnitz in Carinthia, Austria. It is located in the peripheral zone of the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Mallnitz is a municipality in the Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria.

The Ankogel (3,252 m) is a mountain in the Ankogel Group in the eastern High Tauern range in Austria. It is the second highest mountain in the group, the Hochalmspitze being higher at 3,360 m. A cable car from Mallnitz goes up to 2,631 m on the mountain, making Ankogel one of the most accessible alpine peaks.

Bad Hofgastein (Bavarian: Hofgoschdei) is a market town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The spa town is located in the Gastein Valley, a large ski resort belonging to the Ski Amadé network.

The Hochalmspitze (3,360 metres above the Adriatic (11,020 ft)) is located east of Mallnitz in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is sometimes called "Tauern Queen" (German: Tauernkönigin) as a counterpart to the "Tauern King", the Grossglockner.

The Schareck, a mountain with a height of 3,123 m (AA), lies in the Goldberg Group of the High Tauern in Austria.

Bad Gastein (German pronunciation: [baːt ɡasˈtaɪn] is a spa town in the St. Johann im Pongau District. Picturesquely situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range, it is known for the Gastein waterfall and a variety of grand hotel buildings.

Burgruine Groppenstein is a castle in Carinthia, Austria.

Flattach (Slovene: Blato) is a municipality in Spittal an der Drau District in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

Grossarl (Großarl) is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in western central Austria. The valley Grossarltal got its name from Grossarl.