Obertauern is a famous tourist destination which is located in the “Radstädter Tauern” in the “Salzburger Land” of Austria

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...

. The very famous winter sports resort is separated in two communities: Tweng

Tweng

Tweng is a municipality in the district of Tamsweg in the state of Salzburg in Austria....

 and Untertauern

Untertauern

Untertauern is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria....

.

Geography

Obertauern is one of the Radstädter Tauern situated in the south east of the Austrian Bundesland of Salzburg between 1,630 and 2,526 meters above sea level. The village is located around the highest point of the “Tauern pass” where the “Katschberg Street” (B99) runs. Obertauern belongs to the two districts: St. Johann/Pongau and Tamsweg. Therefore the community is separated into the two townships Untertauern (Pongau) and Tweng (Lungau).

Celts and Romans

Obertauern has a long history, which goes back to the era of the Celts (4th – 1st century B.C.). Also, the Roman road went along the “Tauern pass” (in Alpe) to Juvavum (Salzburg). Tracks of old Roman wagons were recovered on this street. Relics of old milestones attest to the Romans who moved around. The improvement of the road likely dates back to Emperor Claudius (41-54).

The Beatles in Obertauern

In March 1965, Obertauern was the site used by The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 in their film, "HELP!

Help! (film)

Help! is a 1965 film directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—and featuring Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, John Bluthal, Roy Kinnear and Patrick Cargill. Help! was the second feature film made by the Beatles and is a...

". The scenes in the film open with the title 'Seemingly safe in the Sheltering Alps' and include much-repeated footage accompanying the song 'Ticket to Ride'. Willi Grillitsch, who (in 2009) owns and runs both the Hotel Alpina and the Obertauern Ski School, acted as personal ski instructor to Paul McCartney during their visit. Hotel Marietta was honoured to be the host for their only live performance in Austria. Team Marietta are in possession of unique relics that the Beatles donated. The Beatles stayed at the Hotel Edelweiss which appears briefly in the background during the 'ski jump presentation' scene. The Railway station at nearby Radstadt also appears in the film.

Development of the village

The first definite mention of the “Radstädter Tauern” was in the year 1207. In 1224 a small church was already noted at the top of the pass. In 1517 somebody gave an account of two hosts on the “Tauern”, wherewith the houses “Schaidberg” and “Wisenegg” were meant. These two accommodations are still nowadays in a good condition. In 1519 the enlargement of the street took place. In 1764 the archbishop Sigismund of Schrattenbach opened up the post station Untertauern and the post rides went two-times weekly, in 1870 four-times weekly and in 1895 they went two-times per day. In 1902 the first skiers were mentioned.

The tourist resort Obertauern

After the 1st World War, in 1920 the first skiers came to Obertauern – on foot. The baggage was transported by sleighs. From 1925 till 1927 the so called “Tauern” races took place which attracted many visitors. The inhabitants of Obertauern dated the “birthday” of the village on the 8th of December 1929, because on that day the regular winter traffic of the “Tauern” pass took place for the first time. In 1948 the first lift was installed at the Seekarhaus. From 1948 till 1960 the slope was stepped by the skiers. For one hour “slope stepping” they got 3 free rides. The streets and the avalanche protection were extended in 1950 and the first platter lifts were built. The beginning to develop the hotel-village Obertauern occurred in 1952. Between 1952 and 1961 a multiplicity of modern cableways and tow lifts were installed.

Further progresses

In 1961 the ultra-modern cableway to the Zehnerkar started. In 1962 “Obertauern” became the official place name. One year later, the first motorized snow cat for Austria was used in Obertauern. The “elementary skiing school” was famous too, because the children learned skiing in the afternoon – and this was part of the regular timetable. In 1967 slope construction began. In the process some drastic area changes had been taken because they had to improve the slopes for the snow cats and the needs of tourists from around the world.

From the eighties till today

In 1985 the first snow gun was installed. Between 1991 and 1998 many modernization works were completed – for example the flood lit slope or the entering of the contactless ski pass system. In December 1999 Christian Flühr set the world record of marathon skiing in Obertauern – he had been skiing for three days nonstop (68 hours and 23 minutes). This is the distance between America and Europe. One season later, in February 2001, the German Christian Flühr set the world record again with more than 4 days (103 hours and 21 minutes) nonstop on skis. Afterwards Christian Flühr improved his world record a few times elsewhere.

Cemetery of the nameless

The cemetery of the nameless is situated at the highest place of the “Tauern” pass. The name originates from the times when people tried to pass the “Tauern” on foot. Often they were ill equipped for the bad weather and died while trying to make the journey. More often than not, they could not be identified and were therefore buried in unmarked graves. Nowadays it is the cemetery for the inhabitants of the developed ski resort Obertauern.

Skiing and snowboarding

Skiing is certainly the most popular sports activity in Obertauern. Besides skiing, snowboarding is quite popular too. The ski area covers around 100 kilometers of slopes and 26 ski lifts, which transport 46,058 persons per hour. The ascent for non-skiers is possible with every chairlift/gondola. With the Zehnerkarbahn and the Günwaldkopfbahn you can also go down. Skiers who only come for a daytrip have got the possibility of parking their cars at the 24,000 square meters parking place. They are all directly next to the slopes. The lift company Obertauern is responsible for the ski lifts.

The Tauern round

In Obertauern you have the possibility of making a whole round – the so called Tauern round, because the ski lifts are situated around the village. It runs clockwise and counter-clockwise. The ski bridges make it possible to pass over the main street safely. You can start the Tauern round at every lift and it will end at the starting point. It's also possible to use the slopes which are not included in the Tauern round because the signage is very good. The slopes are marked with colors, which show the degree of difficulty. Blue (60%) for easy slopes, red (36%) for intermediate and black (4%) for difficult slope sections.

Cross country

Besides skiing and snowboarding, there are 26 km of trails for cross country skiing and walking tours.

Sport Center Obertauern

Obertauern has a sport center where visitors can practice various sports. Among many other things, there are 2 tennis courts (indoor), 3 squash boxes, 1 badminton court, 3 fully automatic bowling alleys, a bodybuilding and fitness room with a cardio sphere, a multipurpose hall as well as the possibility to play billiards. There is also a big vitality center (600 square meters) and sports medical mentoring available. In former times famous sportsmen like Hermann Maier and Michael Walchhofer trained in this training-center between their races. Heinz Schilchegger, a world-class skier, is also from Obertauern.

Flora and fauna

Obertauern is also popular with scientists and friends of nature. In this region you can find the rare Bluethroat

Bluethroat

The Bluethroat is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...

species of bird.