Salzkammergut#

Salzkammergut District, Alpine and pre-Alpine region rich in lakes, in the south of the province of Upper Austria (72 %) and in the bordering provinces of Salzburg (12 %) and Styria (16 %, "Styrian Salzkammergut" part of Upper Austria from 1938 to 1945), region around the upper course of the River Traun; centre of former salt mining region (Hallstatt, Bad Ischl, Altaussee). The Salzkammergut district is one of the cradles of Austrian culture ( Hallstatt Culture), and is a very popular tourist region on account of its scenic beauty. It was developed as a summer resort in the 19th  century. -Intensive rainfall; highly diversified landscape: in the south and in the east, karstified lime stocks of the Dachstein Massif and the Totes Gebirge Mountains, in the north, pre-Alpine limestone massifs (Hoellengebirge Mountains, Schafberg Mountain, Traunstein Mountain) and wooded sandstone mountains ( Kolomannsberg Mountain) of the Flysch zone; in-between lie 40 lakes in the basins formed by ice-age glaciers, including Lake Toplitzsee, Lake Grundlsee, Lake Altaussee, Lake Hallstatt, the Gosausee Lakes, Lake Wolfgangsee, Lake Mondsee, Lake Fuschlsee, Lake Irrsee, Lake Schwarzensee, Lake Attersee and Lake Traunsee, the Langbathsee Lakes, Lake Offensee and Lake Laudachsee. Important tourist destinations include Sankt Gilgen, Bad Ischl (imperial summer residence), Sankt Wolfgang, Bad Mitterndorf, Bad Goisern, Bad Aussee, Altaussee, Mondsee, Gmunden, Altmuenster, etc. Industry especially in Ebensee and Gmunden. The fact that the Salzkammergut district is shared by several provinces has historical reasons: the Upper Austrian part belongs to Traungau and Attergau, but several parts were added in the course of time: in 1492 the Gosautal Valley was ceded by Salzburg, in 1505 the region around Lake Mondsee and Sankt Wolfgang was ceded by Bavaria; it was not subordinated to the governor (Salzamtmann in Gmunden), but directly to the Chamberlain of Austria below the Enns; the name Salzkammergut was first mentioned in 1656. It lost its special status under Joseph II. Administratively, the Upper Austrian Salzkammergut comprises the whole district of Gmunden and the southern part of the district Voecklabruck; the Styrian Salzkammergut includes the court district of Bad Aussee in the administrative district of Liezen and the Salzburg Salzkammergut comprises the eastern, mountainous part of Salzburg Province (main towns: Sankt Gilgen, Strobl).