Saalfelden

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer
Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer
Municipality
	Saalfelden Basin
	Coat of arms
	Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer Location within Austria
	Coordinates:47°25′37″N12°50′54″E/ 47.42694°N 12.84833°E
Country	Austria
State	Salzburg
District	Zell am See
Government
•Mayor	Erich Rohrmoser (SPÖ)
Area
• Total	118.35 km2(45.70 sq mi)
Elevation	748 m (2,454 ft)
Population (2018-01-01)
• Total	16,700
• Density	140/km2(370/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	5760
Area code	06582
Vehicle registration	ZE
Website	www.saalfelden.at

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meeris a town in the district ofZell am Seein theAustrianstate ofSalzburg.With approximately 16,000 inhabitants, Saalfelden is the district's largest town andthe thirdof the federal state afterSalzburgandHallein.

Geography

Although the Saalfelden area has always been the most populous of the historicPinzgauregion, the seat of the district administration is situated in the neighbouring town ofZell am See.

Saalfelden Basin

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer lies at 744 m (2,441 ft) above sea level and its municipal area covers 118 km²(46 sq mi). The largest proportion of the municipality is formed by the SaalfeldenBasin(Saalfeldner Becken) situated between theNorthern Limestone Alpsranges of:

theSteinernes Meerhigh plateau to the north, forming the border withGermany
theLeogang Mountainsand the Biberg to the west
theHochkönigmassif and theSalzburg Slate Alpsto the east.

View over Saalfelden Basin

To the south the basin is generally open, running into the Zell Basin (Zeller Becken) withLake Zelland theSalzachriver – hence the term Zell-Saalfelden BasinZeller-Saalfeldener Beckenis also used for the whole valley – and enables a view of theHigh Tauern,especially the prominentKitzsteinhornandWiesbachhornpeaks. The two basins are separated by a barely discerniblevalley floor divide.This trough is one of the largest inner-Alpine basins.

The main river in the basin is theSaalach.It rises in the upperGlemm Valley,empties into the basin south of Saalfelden and passes through it from south to north. A right tributary of the Saalach flowing through the borough of Saalfelden from east to west is the Urslau creek. A left tributary, theLeoganger Ache,empties into the Saalach from the west. In addition there are several smaller tributary streams. In the centre of the basin is the Kühbühel ( "cow-hill" ) which is a good 100 m (330 ft).

The only lake in the expansive basin is the man-made Ritzensee, excavated for leisure purposes. Other artificial ponds have been laid out primarily for angling and tourism.

Subdivisions

The Saalfelden municipality comprises thecadastral communitiesof Bergham, Farmach, Gerling, Haid, Hohlwegen, Lenzing, Lichtenberg, and Saalfelden proper.

History

Town centre with parish church in October 2008.

Early archaeological findings in the Saalfelden Basin date back to theNeolithicEra. A continuous settlement is documented since the lateIron Age,whenCeltictribes moved into the region. From the 7th century AD onwards,Bavarianssettled the area from the north. About 100 years later the estates ofSalveton the Saalach river were first mentioned in a register by theBishops of Salzburg.While they became part of theCarolingian Empire,the lands were incorporated into theFrankishPinzgau county.

The Saalfelden estates were acquired by ArchbishopHartwig of Salzburgabout 1000; and by the early 13th century, the whole Pinzgau region was part of theprince-bishops' lands. Saalfelden was first mentioned as amarket townin the mid 14th century. It remained part of the Salzburg prince-archbishopric until itssecularisationin 1803.

With the Salzburg lands, Saalfelden finally fell to theAustrian Empirein 1816. It achieved town status in 2000.

Sport and leisure

Felix Gottwald Ski Jumping Stadium

The Ritzensee and the adjacent Kollingwald forest are the recreation areas for Saalfelden's townsfolk. The lake is used in summer as a bathing lake and in winter for ice skating.

Footpaths and trails are used in winter ascross country skiingroutes. In the village of Uttenhofen there several ski jumps including those of theFelix Gottwald Ski Jumping Stadiumand a centre forNordic combination.Saalfelden earned fame in the langlauf and biathlon sports through its top athletes:Felix Gottwald,Simon Eder,Julian Eberhard and Tobias Eberhard.

Since 2006 an internationaltriathloncompetition has taken place annually in Saalfelden in August, theTri Motion Austria.