Altaussee
Encyclopedia
Altaussee is a small alpine Austria
n village, nestled on the shores of the Altaussee lake, beneath the Loser Plateau
. Occupying an area of 92 km², the village is home to 1,888 people. Altaussee is within the Salzkammergut
region, in the state of Styria.
, a carbonate rock. The age of these rocks are Triassic
and Jurassic
. The mountains themselves did not form until the Cenozoic
, when immense forces between the colliding African and Eurasian plates caused the mountains to be uplifted. The limestones which make up the mountains are white to pale grey in colour, and formed relatively deep in the ancient Tethys ocean
. Because the rocks formed so deep, fossils are rare. However, corals are reported from the lower slopes of Loser mountain.
Tectonics: a major tectonic fault line runs directly beneath the Altaussee lake, approximately east-west, and terminates in the valley west of the Seewiese. The fault is seismically active, with small earthquakes common. On a hot, clear day in August 1998, a small earthquake on the fault (M=3) caught summer bathers by surprise with a low, rumbling sound and, a few minutes later, unusually high waves.
Evaporites: Large evaporite reserves are present in the Sandling mountain, and have been mined since ~1100 for salt
. The mines are still operational today, and salt is pumped - dissolved in water - to the town of Bad Ischl
. It is for this reason that Altaussee, and other local towns and villages such as Hallstatt
, are now part of the Salzkammergut
region. The evaporites formed as a result of a major period of marine lowstand, when the sea level was low and the sea dried out.
Exploring for yourself: A 7.5 km trail goes around a clear lake surrounded by 1838 m high Loser mountain the Trisslberg, the Tressenstein and other mountain ranges. Brown and white alpine-style houses with a beautiful church are in the center of town. The tourist bureau has a few English pamphlets, but most information, including the Literatur museum inside, is in German. A saltmine tour through one of Austria's oldest saltmines is available every hour in the summer. Hiking trails abound, with various gradings. They are marked with green and white signs. The lower ones are easy to follow while the more difficult routes are sometimes less well-marked. A paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers. Flora and waterfalls make the forests and mountains even more attractive in the summer.
Belgian-owned treasures such as Michelangelo
’s Madonna of Bruges
stolen from the Church of Our Lady in Bruges
, and Jan van Eyck
’s Ghent Altarpiece
stolen from Saint Bavo Cathedral
in Ghent
; Vermeer’s The Astronomer and The Art of Painting
which were to be focal points of Hitler’s Führermuseum
in Linz
, Austria; and paintings from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples
, Italy that had been stolen by the Hermann Göring Tank Division (Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
) at Monte Cassino
in Italy.
In the wintertime the nearby ski resort of Loser (mountain)
offer skiing for all levels, with blue, red and black pistes. In addition other nearby ski resorts are available.
Hallstatt
Bad Goisern
Bad Ischl
Gmunden
Styria
Loser Mountain and Ski Resort
Salzkammergut
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n village, nestled on the shores of the Altaussee lake, beneath the Loser Plateau
Loser Plateau
The Loser Plateau is part of the Totes Gebirge mountain range in the Salzkammergut of Austria. It is most easily accessed up a toll road from the town of Altaussee. It is a Nature Reserve, notable for its caves and unspoilt alpine Karst ecosystem...
. Occupying an area of 92 km², the village is home to 1,888 people. Altaussee is within the Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
region, in the state of Styria.
Local Geology
The characteristic pale grey mountains which surround Altaussee are made of limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, a carbonate rock. The age of these rocks are Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
and Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
. The mountains themselves did not form until the Cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
, when immense forces between the colliding African and Eurasian plates caused the mountains to be uplifted. The limestones which make up the mountains are white to pale grey in colour, and formed relatively deep in the ancient Tethys ocean
Tethys Ocean
The Tethys Ocean was an ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia during the Mesozoic era before the opening of the Indian Ocean.-Modern theory:...
. Because the rocks formed so deep, fossils are rare. However, corals are reported from the lower slopes of Loser mountain.
Tectonics: a major tectonic fault line runs directly beneath the Altaussee lake, approximately east-west, and terminates in the valley west of the Seewiese. The fault is seismically active, with small earthquakes common. On a hot, clear day in August 1998, a small earthquake on the fault (M=3) caught summer bathers by surprise with a low, rumbling sound and, a few minutes later, unusually high waves.
Evaporites: Large evaporite reserves are present in the Sandling mountain, and have been mined since ~1100 for salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. The mines are still operational today, and salt is pumped - dissolved in water - to the town of Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden Ahorn, Bad Ischl, Haiden, Jainzen, Kaltenbach, Lauffen, Lindau, Pfandl, Perneck, Reiterndorf and Rettenbach...
. It is for this reason that Altaussee, and other local towns and villages such as Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt, Upper Austria is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See . At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants...
, are now part of the Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
region. The evaporites formed as a result of a major period of marine lowstand, when the sea level was low and the sea dried out.
Exploring for yourself: A 7.5 km trail goes around a clear lake surrounded by 1838 m high Loser mountain the Trisslberg, the Tressenstein and other mountain ranges. Brown and white alpine-style houses with a beautiful church are in the center of town. The tourist bureau has a few English pamphlets, but most information, including the Literatur museum inside, is in German. A saltmine tour through one of Austria's oldest saltmines is available every hour in the summer. Hiking trails abound, with various gradings. They are marked with green and white signs. The lower ones are easy to follow while the more difficult routes are sometimes less well-marked. A paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers. Flora and waterfalls make the forests and mountains even more attractive in the summer.
Nazi Stolen Art Repository
During WWII this extensive complex of salt mines served as a huge repository for art stolen by the Nazis, but it also contained holdings from Austrian collections. More than 6,500 paintings alone were discovered at Altaussee. The contents included:Belgian-owned treasures such as Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
’s Madonna of Bruges
Madonna of Bruges
The Madonna of Bruges is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo, of Mary with the infant Jesus.Michelangelo's depiction of the Madonna and Child differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which tended to feature a pious Virgin smiling down on an infant held in her arms...
stolen from the Church of Our Lady in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, and Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century....
’s Ghent Altarpiece
Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is a very large and complex Early Netherlandish polyptych panel painting which is considered to be one of Belgium's masterpieces and one of the world's treasures.It was once in the Joost Vijdt chapel at Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, but...
stolen from Saint Bavo Cathedral
Saint Bavo Cathedral
thumb|right|225px|Sint-Baafs CathedralThe Saint Bavo Cathedral is the seat of the diocese of Ghent. It is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent....
in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
; Vermeer’s The Astronomer and The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting, also known as The Allegory of Painting, and or Painter in his Studio, is a famous 17th century oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Many art historians believe that it is an allegory of painting, hence the alternative title of the painting...
which were to be focal points of Hitler’s Führermuseum
Führermuseum
The Führermuseum was an unrealized museum complex planned by Adolf Hitler for the Austrian city of Linz to display the collection of art plundered or purchased by the Nazis throughout Europe during World War II.-Design:...
in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Austria; and paintings from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy that had been stolen by the Hermann Göring Tank Division (Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. Hermann Göring was an élite German Luftwaffe armoured division. The HG saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and on the Eastern front...
) at Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
in Italy.
In the wintertime the nearby ski resort of Loser (mountain)
Loser (mountain)
Loser is the name of a mountain in the Ausseerland in Austria which has an elevation of 1,838 metres above sea level.The mountain is the most prominent landmark of the Ausseerland. Among the locals, it is also known as the Ausseer Ohrwaschl because of its shape. It is possible to almost reach the...
offer skiing for all levels, with blue, red and black pistes. In addition other nearby ski resorts are available.
Nearby towns and regions
Bad AusseeBad Aussee
-Tracht:Bad Aussee is unique within Austria as its inhabitants wear Tracht, or traditional dress, on a daily basis. Within other regions of Austria, it could almost be taken as a political statement if one were to wear Tracht. For women, this consists of a Dirndl, a type of dress with a fitted...
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt, Upper Austria is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See . At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants...
Bad Goisern
Bad Goisern
Bad Goisern is a market town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It is part of the Salzkammergut resort area. At the 2005 census Bad Goisern had a population of 7.578 inhabitants.- History :...
Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden Ahorn, Bad Ischl, Haiden, Jainzen, Kaltenbach, Lauffen, Lindau, Pfandl, Perneck, Reiterndorf and Rettenbach...
Gmunden
Gmunden
Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,202 inhabitants . It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of goat, lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc...
Styria
Useful links
Altaussee TourismLoser Mountain and Ski Resort
Salzkammergut