Myra Falls (Lower Austria)
Encyclopedia
The Myra Falls are located in a ravine
in the municipality of Muggendorf in the Austrian federal state of Lower Austria
(N.B. not to be confused with the Mira Falls (Mirafall) 50 km further west in the Ötschergräben). The ravine has been cut by the Myrabach, a small tributary of the Piesting
.
The Myra, as the stream is also known, rises at the foot of the Unterberg from the Myralucke, a spring steeped in legend, that is fed by an underground lake. Although the Myra is only a few kilometres long, it used to power a large number of mills and sawmills in the Myra valley.
In 1899 In 1899 plans were laid for "the exploitation of this waterfall for industrial purposes and thus the destruction of a natural beauty".
In 1912 Lord Oskar of Rosthorn (Oskar Edler von Rosthorn) built a small pumped-storage power station at the Myra Falls, that was in operation until 1974/1975.
The actual ravine with the falls is about 600 metres long; its height difference is 70 metres. The gorge runs from north to south and is protected as a natural monument. The subsoil of the gorge is limestone
. The Myrabach falls in several cascades through the gorge. At the upper and lower end the water is impounded into a small pond
.
A well-developed and popular hiking trail leads through the gorge. It was built in 1885 by the Pernitz branch of the Austrian Tourist Club
(Österreichischer Touristenklub), with 19 bridges and 8 ascents (opened: 9 August 1885) and looked after them since then.
There are two commemorative plaques at the entrance to the Myra Falls. The first recalls the "opening up of the falls and the construction of the ascents by the Pernitz Branch of the Ö. TC". The second panel is dedicated "to the memory of the visit to the Myra Falls on 19 September 1801 by His Majesty the Roman-German Emperor, Francis II
, Her Majesty Empress Maria Theresa
, and by Their Imperial Highnesses, the Crown Prince Ferdinand Karl Leopold Joseph
and Archduchess Maria Ludoica, donated by Aust. Tourist Club and the "Enzian" Alpine Society on 8 June 1902."
There are restaurants at the top and bottom of the gorge. The entrance to the gorge may easily be reached on foot or by car (car park) and is located about 300 metre north of the village of Muggendorf.
The Myra ends shortly after the falls at Pernitz
where it joins the Piesting
.
brought out a definitive stamp
on this subject in their Austrian landscape series to the value of 20.00 shillings.
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
in the municipality of Muggendorf in the Austrian federal state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
(N.B. not to be confused with the Mira Falls (Mirafall) 50 km further west in the Ötschergräben). The ravine has been cut by the Myrabach, a small tributary of the Piesting
Piesting
The Piesting is a river in southern Lower Austria. Its sources are the Kalte Gang, the Steinapiesting, and the Längapiesting, which begin south of the Schneeberg....
.
The Myra, as the stream is also known, rises at the foot of the Unterberg from the Myralucke, a spring steeped in legend, that is fed by an underground lake. Although the Myra is only a few kilometres long, it used to power a large number of mills and sawmills in the Myra valley.
In 1899 In 1899 plans were laid for "the exploitation of this waterfall for industrial purposes and thus the destruction of a natural beauty".
In 1912 Lord Oskar of Rosthorn (Oskar Edler von Rosthorn) built a small pumped-storage power station at the Myra Falls, that was in operation until 1974/1975.
The actual ravine with the falls is about 600 metres long; its height difference is 70 metres. The gorge runs from north to south and is protected as a natural monument. The subsoil of the gorge is limestone
Limestone
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....
. The Myrabach falls in several cascades through the gorge. At the upper and lower end the water is impounded into a small pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
.
A well-developed and popular hiking trail leads through the gorge. It was built in 1885 by the Pernitz branch of the Austrian Tourist Club
Austrian Tourist Club
The Austrian Tourist Club or ÖTK is the second oldest and third largest Alpine club in Austria.The foundation of the club goes back to an initiative by Gustav Jäger, publisher of Der Tourist, the first tourist magazine in Austria...
(Österreichischer Touristenklub), with 19 bridges and 8 ascents (opened: 9 August 1885) and looked after them since then.
There are two commemorative plaques at the entrance to the Myra Falls. The first recalls the "opening up of the falls and the construction of the ascents by the Pernitz Branch of the Ö. TC". The second panel is dedicated "to the memory of the visit to the Myra Falls on 19 September 1801 by His Majesty the Roman-German Emperor, Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
, Her Majesty Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
, and by Their Imperial Highnesses, the Crown Prince Ferdinand Karl Leopold Joseph
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
and Archduchess Maria Ludoica, donated by Aust. Tourist Club and the "Enzian" Alpine Society on 8 June 1902."
There are restaurants at the top and bottom of the gorge. The entrance to the gorge may easily be reached on foot or by car (car park) and is located about 300 metre north of the village of Muggendorf.
The Myra ends shortly after the falls at Pernitz
Pernitz
-History:The name originates from perenica and a brook. The name is of Slavic origin. The Celts arrived before the Slavs.The name was first mentioned in 1165 in the Falkensteiner Codex. In 1679, the plague affected Pernitz and four years later in1683, the Second Turkish Siege happened.In 1828, a...
where it joins the Piesting
Piesting
The Piesting is a river in southern Lower Austria. Its sources are the Kalte Gang, the Steinapiesting, and the Längapiesting, which begin south of the Schneeberg....
.
Postage stamp
On 7 December 1977 the Österreichische PostÖsterreichische Post
Österreichische Post is the company responsible for postal service in Austria. This company was established in 1999 after its split-off from the mail corporate division of the former telecommunications Austrian concern Post und Telekom Austria.-External links:...
brought out a definitive stamp
Definitive stamp
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp, that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service for an extended period of time...
on this subject in their Austrian landscape series to the value of 20.00 shillings.
External links
- Mira (Fall der). — Franz Xavier Joseph Schweickhardt, Darstellung des Erzherzogthums Oesterreich unter der Ens […], Dritter Band, Viertel unter dem Wienerwald, Vienna 1831, p. 268 ff. http://www.archive.org/stream/darstellungdese24schwgoog#page/n289/mode/2up
- Photos and site plan