Traun River
Encyclopedia
Traun is a river
in the Austria
n state of Upper Austria
. Its source is in the Totes Gebirge
mountain range in Styria
. It flows through the Salzkammergut
area and the lakes Hallstätter See
and Traunsee
. The Traun is a right tributary of the Danube
, which it meets near the City of Linz
. Other towns along the river are Bad Aussee
, Bad Ischl
, Gmunden
, Wels
and Traun
.
Any fly-fisher will enjoy fishing for the Traun's large grayling. The post office, the sports shop and small hotels in the nearby Halstatt are a great source of information. This ancient lakeside village of some 950 residents has to be seen to be believed. Halstatt is a World Heritage Site for its cultural heritage.
Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails. However this secluded and inhospitable landscape nevertheless counts as one of the first places of human settlement due to the rich sources of natural salt, which was mined for thousands of years, originally in the shape of hearts. Some of Hallstatt's oldest archaeological finds, such as a shoe-last celt - a long thin stone tool used to fell trees and to work wood - date back to around 5000 BC.
One of the first blacksmith's sites was excavated there. Active trade and thus wealth allowed for the development of a highly-sophisticated society, hence the term Halstatt culture.
In 1846, a large prehistoric cemetery was discovered close by the current location of Hallstatt. There is so little place for cemeteries that every ten years bones used to be exhumed and removed into an ossuary to make room for new burials. A collection of elaborately decorated skulls with the owners' names, professions, death dates inscribed on them is on display at the local chapel
Tourists are told that Hallstatt is the site of "the world's oldest pipeline"which was constructed 400 years ago from 13,000 hollowed out trees.
Hallstatt is a popular tourist attraction due to its small town appeal and can be toured on foot in ten minutes.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the 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...
n state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. Its source is in the Totes Gebirge
Totes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name Totes Gebirge is derived from the German words tot meaning "dead", referring to the apparent lack of vegetation, and Gebirge meaning "mountain...
mountain range in Styria
Styria (state)
Styria is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. ...
. It flows through 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...
area and the lakes Hallstätter See
Hallstätter See
Lake Hallstatt or Hallstätter See is a lake in the Salzkammergut, Austria, located at . Its surface is approximately 8.55 km² and its maximum depth is 125 metres. It is a popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers....
and Traunsee
Traunsee
Traunsee is a lake in the Salzkammergut, Austria, located at . Its surface is approximately 24.5 km² and its maximum depth is 191 metres. It is a popular tourist destination, and its attractions include Schloss Ort, a medieval castle....
. The Traun is a right tributary of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, which it meets near the City of 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...
. Other towns along the river are Bad Aussee
Bad 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...
, 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...
, Wels
Wels
Wels is the second largest city of the state of Upper Austria, located in the north of Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is not part of its surrounding Wels County , but a so-called Statutarstadt . However, Wels is the county seat of Wels-Land.- Geography :Wels is located in the...
and Traun
Traun
Traun is a city in the state of Upper Austria, Austria. As of 2001, according to , the population was 23,470 . Traun is home to a large Turkish immigrant community, a significant part of which originates from Sakarya/Akyazi, Turkey. The city is located at latitude 48.21667, longitude...
.
Any fly-fisher will enjoy fishing for the Traun's large grayling. The post office, the sports shop and small hotels in the nearby Halstatt are a great source of information. This ancient lakeside village of some 950 residents has to be seen to be believed. Halstatt is a World Heritage Site for its cultural heritage.
Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails. However this secluded and inhospitable landscape nevertheless counts as one of the first places of human settlement due to the rich sources of natural salt, which was mined for thousands of years, originally in the shape of hearts. Some of Hallstatt's oldest archaeological finds, such as a shoe-last celt - a long thin stone tool used to fell trees and to work wood - date back to around 5000 BC.
One of the first blacksmith's sites was excavated there. Active trade and thus wealth allowed for the development of a highly-sophisticated society, hence the term Halstatt culture.
In 1846, a large prehistoric cemetery was discovered close by the current location of Hallstatt. There is so little place for cemeteries that every ten years bones used to be exhumed and removed into an ossuary to make room for new burials. A collection of elaborately decorated skulls with the owners' names, professions, death dates inscribed on them is on display at the local chapel
Tourists are told that Hallstatt is the site of "the world's oldest pipeline"which was constructed 400 years ago from 13,000 hollowed out trees.
Hallstatt is a popular tourist attraction due to its small town appeal and can be toured on foot in ten minutes.