Krimmler Wasserfälle

The Krimmler Wasserfälle, with a total height of 380 meters (1,247 feet), is the second highest waterfall in Austria. [cite web |url=http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/database.php?s=T&t=G&category=country&search=Austria&orderby=height%20DESC |title=Tallest Waterfalls of Austria |accessdate=2008-08-13 |author=Bryan Swan & Dean Goss |date=2004 |work= |publisher=World Waterfall Database] The falls are formed from the Krimmler Ache river and are located near the village of Krimml in the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Falls

Krimmler Wasserfälle is a tiered waterfall. The waterfall begins at the Krimmler Ache at the top of the Krimmler Achendal, and plunges downward in three stages. The upper stage has a drop of 140 meters, the middle of 100 meters, and the lowest a drop of 140 meters. [cite web |url=http://www.wasserfaelle-krimml.at/ |title=Krimmler Wasserfälle |accessdate=2008-08-13 |work= |publisher= |date= |language=German]

Flow

The Krimmler Ache is a glacial stream, and its flow varies greatly. The flow in June and July is 20,000 m³/h (about 5.28 million gallons per hour), while in February it is only 500 m³/h (about 0.13 million gallons per hour). The greatest measured flow was on August 25, 1987, when it was 600,000 m³/h, or almost 160 million gallons per hour.

After the falls, the river joins the Salzach, which flows to the Inn, then into the Danube River and finally to the Black Sea.

Tourism

Since the 18th century, the primary touring interests in the waterfall have come from Britain.fact|date=August 2008 To ensure that the tourists could see more of the waterfall without difficulty, Ignaz von Kürsinger, from Mittersill, created a path to the upper part of the waterfall. In 1879, the Oesterreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club) improved the road to provide a more panoramic view. The falls are visited annually by about 400,000 people. There is a negative impact on the local residents, because of the high traffic level in a small village, and because of erosion to the road.fact|date=August 2008

References

Slupetzky, Heinz and Johannes Wiesenegger. 1993. "Vom Schnee, Eis, Schmelzwasser und Regen zum Gletscherbach – Hydrologie der Krimmler Ache" In: Krimmler Wasserfälle, Festschrift 25 Jahre Europäisches Naturschutzdiplom 1967-1992, Innsbruck Austria. ["From snow, ice, melt-water and rain to glacial stream - Hydrology of the Krimmler Ache"]

Stocker, Erich. 1993. "Zur Geomorphologie der Krimmler Wasserfälle" In: Krimmler Wasserfälle, Festschrift 25 Jahre Europäisches Naturschutzdiplom 1967-1992, Innsbruck Austria. ["On the geomorphology of the Krimmler Wasserfälle"]

External links

* [http://www.wasserfaelle-krimml.at Krimmler Wasserfälle web-site] (in German)
* [http://www.salzburger-saalachtal.com/de/Ausflugsziele/Land-Salzburg/Krimmler-Wasserfaelle/Krimmler-Wasserfaelle.htm Krimmler Wasserfälle at Salzburger-Saalachtal] (in German)
* [http://www.world-waterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=86 Krimmler Wasserfalle stats on World Waterfall Database]