!!!Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein (name written as Badgastein until 1996), province of 
Salzburg, municipality in the district of St. Johann, alt. 
1002 m, pop. 5,662, area 170.60 km%%sup 2/%, spa and winter 
sports centre in the valley of the Gasteiner Ache river, at the foot 
of Graukogel Mountain (2,492 m); leading medicinal spa in 
Austria, radioactive thermal springs (47° C, drinking and 
bathing cures, treatment of rheumatic diseases) that issue at the foot 
of Graukogel mountain and are piped into the baths for therapeutical 
use; hydropathic centre with thermal indoor pool, Felsenbad (thermal 
indoor and outdoor pool carved out of the rock), hydropathic hospice,  
Boeckstein therapy tunnel (2,600 m long former mining drift with 
hydrotherapy stations, 37-42° C), numerous therapy centres, 
congress centre, museum (with 75 kg heavy rock-crystal), Gastein 
Research Institute (run by the Austrian Academy of Sciences), casino, 
golf-course, Elisabeth park, storage power stations Boeckstein (built 
1981, capacity 106,840 megawatt-hours) and Nassfeld-Boeckstein (built 
1982, capacity 12,940 megawatt-hours), waterfall of the Gasteiner Ache 
river in the town, cable railway to the Stubnerkogel Mountain 
(2,246 m), skiing area Sportgastein in the Nassfeld Valley; 
tourism (1,094,974 overnight stays). Has been documented as a watering 
place since the middle of the 14%%sup th/%  century. The erection of a 
palace by the prince-archbishop of the city of Salzburg (Badeschloss, 
1791-1793) led to the first economic upswing, while, in the second 
half of the 19%%sup th/%  century, eminent patrons brought the town 
world renown. Many hotels, parish church (1866-1876); Gothic 
St. Nikolaus church (1389) with late Gothic frescoes (1480), 
Protestant church (1868-1872), house "Meran" (1830, villa of Archduke 
Johann).

!Literature
H. von Zimburg, Geschichte Gasteins und des Gasteiner 
Tales, 1948; W. Schaup-Weinberg, Badgastein. Die Geographie eines 
Weltkurortes, doctoral thesis, Salzburg 1968; 500 Jahre Badehospiz 
Badgastein, 1989.


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