Bad Gastein

Infobox Ort in Österreich
Art = Gemeinde
Name = Bad Gastein
Wappen =
lat_deg = 47 | lat_min = 6 | lat_sec = 0
lon_deg = 13 | lon_min = 1 | lon_sec = 0
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Salzburg
Bezirk = St. Johann im Pongau
Höhe = 1002
Fläche = 170.6
Einwohner = 5838
Stand = 15.05.2001
PLZ = 5640
Vorwahl = 06434
Kfz = JO
Gemeindekennziffer = 50 403
NUTS =
LOCODE =
Straße = Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße 1
Website = [http://www.bad-gastein.at http://www.bad-gastein.at]
Bürgermeister = Gerhard Steinbauer
Partei = ÖVP
Gemeinderatanzahl = 25
Wahljahr =
Gemeinderat = 12 SPÖ, 10 ÖVP, 2 ULB, 1 FPÖ
image_photo = Bad gastein vor tauern.jpg
Bildbeschreibung1 = Bad Gastein am Fuße der Hohen Tauern

Bad Gastein is a spa town in Austria, situated in the middle of the National Park Hohe Tauern, at 1,000 metres above sea level. It hosted the Alpine ski world championship in 1958. It is located at the head of the Gastein valley, within the state of Salzburg, in which Salzburg is the major city. The name "Bad" means "spa", reflecting the town's history as a resort.

Transportation

Bad Gastein good transport links with connections to other parts of Austria via road, rail and identifiable cycle routes.

It is a stop along a major railroad line connecting many Austrian cities along a single circuit; the cities include Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, and Graz. Because it is on a main railway thoroughfare, it is easily accessible by the frequent Eurocity and Intercity trains going along this route.

A road also passes right through the Gastein Valley. Through traffic is simple from the northern entrance to the Valley toward the Dorfgastein side of the Valley. However, going south toward Mallnitz requires rolling your car onto a train for a short trip through the train tunnel.

History

The small city of Bad Gastein once was a famous resort, visited by Kings and the rich and famous. Some of the persons who frequented Bad Gastein in the past are the Austrian Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) and German Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia Wilhelm. From the sixties of the 20th century on the resort lost some its former notoriety.

Activities

The town is popular for winter sports, summer hiking, and its healing water treatments. During the past few years, Bad Gastein renovated its "Felsentherme" and Congress Center. In December, Bad Gastein also hosts the snowboard WM and boardercross.

Most of the Gastein Valley contains moderate to good skiing/snowboarding, with plenty of chairlifts and gondolas. Many establishments on the slope offer warmth, food, and strong drink.

Spa and Therapy

The local Heilstollen (literally 'healing cave') thermal spring water earned the town its early fame. Theophratus Parcelsus (1493-1541) studied the spring water to discover its secrets. Marie Curie (1867-1934) and Heinrich Mache (1876-1954) helped to discover that it contained radon and as a result radon therapy began in the town.

Radon inhalation therapy at Gasteiner-Heilstollen began as a result of further investigation into the anecdotal experiences of silver miners who noticed improvements in symptoms from various ailments including arthritis.fact|date=August 2008 Ankylosing spondylitis (also known as Bechterew's disease), in particular, has seen positive results from treatment at the Heilstollen.fact|date=August 2008 However, there is very little empirical evidence of any benefit to inhaling radon. For example, one of the few studies to test the efficacy of spa treatments for Ankylosing spondylitis found no statistically significant difference between a group that spent three weeks at Bad Gastein and a group that spent three weeks at a different spa without radon inhalation therapy. [ van Tubergen et al., "Combined spa-exercise therapy is effective in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a randomized controlled trial." Arthritis Rheum. 2001 Oct;45(5):430-8, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/85515153/HTMLSTART ]

Traditions

Bad Gastein has vibrant pagan traditions that have been slightly assimilated into Roman Catholic tradition. For more information see Paganism in the Eastern Alps. One example is the Krampus, now one of the Companions of Saint Nicholas. The Krampus is an elemental, horned and demonic character, playfully re-enacted by bands of male revelers during December and also once every four years during a Perchten event or Perchtenlauf. The Perchtenlauf happens every four years at Bad Gastein. The most recent was in January 2006.

References

External links

* http://www.gasteinertal.com
* [http://www.travel2austria.com/?cat=37 Many pictures of Bad Gastein]
* http://www.gasteiner-heilstollen.com/en/index.php?page=wdownload_engl.php