Saalfelden

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer

Coat of arms

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer

Location within Austria

Coordinates: 47°25′37″N 12°50′54″E / 47.42694°N 12.84833°ECoordinates: 47°25′37″N 12°50′54″E / 47.42694°N 12.84833°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Erich Rohrmoser (SPÖ)

Area

• Total

118.36 km² (45.70 sq mi)

Elevation

748 m (2,454 ft)

Population (1 January 2014)^[1]

• Total

16,100

• Density

140/km² (350/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

5760

06582

Website

Saalfelden (full name Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer, in Austro-Bavarian: Soiföin or Soifejn) is a town in the Austrian state of Salzburg and is the administrative centre of the Pinzgauer Saalachtal. With approximately 16,000 inhabitants (late 2004), Saalfelden is also the largest town in the Pinzgau and the third of its federal state after Salzburg and Hallein.

Geography

Saalfelden Basin

Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer lies at 744 m above sea level and its municipal area covers 118 km². The largest proportion of the municipality is formed by the Saalfelden Basin (Saalfeldner Becken) which nestles between:

the Steinernes Meer to the north
the Leoganger Steinberge and the Biberg to the west
and the Hochkönig Massif and the Dienten Mountains to the east.

To the south the basin is generally open, running into the Zell Basin (Zeller Becken) with the lake of the Zeller See and the River Salzach – hence the term Zell-Saalfelden Basin Zeller-Saalfeldener Becken is also used for the whole valley – and enables a view of the High Tauern, especially the Kitzsteinhorn and the Wiesbachhorn. The two basins are separated by a barely discernible valley floor divide. This trough is one of the largest inner-Alpine basins.

The main river in the basin is the Saalach. This rises in the upper Glemmtal, empties into the basin south of Saalfelden and passes through it from south to north. The right tributary of the Saalach flowing through the borough of Saalfelden from east to west is the Urslau. Its left tributary, the Leoganger 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 high.

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.

Overview

Although Saalfelden has, since time immemorial, been the most populous parish of the Pinzgau, the town is not the seat of the district administration. This is situated in the neighboring town of Zell am See.

Sport and leisure

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 as cross country skiing routes. In the village of Uttenhofen there several ski jumps including those of the Felix Gottwald Ski Jumping Stadium and a centre for Nordic 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 international triathlon competition has taken place annually in Saalfelden in August, the Tri Motion Austria.