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GASTEIN

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 504 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GASTEIN , in the duchy of See also:

Salzburg, See also:Austria, a See also:side valley of the Pongau or Upper Salzach, about 25 M. See also:long and 1k m. broad, renowned for its See also:mineral springs. It has an See also:elevation of between 3000 and 3500 ft. Behind it, to the S., See also:tower the mountains Mallnitz or Nassfeld-Tauern (79o7 ft.) and Ankogel (10,673 ft.), and from the right and See also:left of these mountains two smaller ranges run northwards forming its two side walls. The See also:river Ache traverses the valley, and near See also:Wildbad-Gastein forms two magnificent waterfalls, the upper, the Kesselfall (196 ft.), and the See also:lower, the Barenfall (296 ft.). Near these falls is the Schleierfall (250 ft.), formed by the stream which drains the Bockhart-see. The valley is also traversed by the so-called Tauern railway (opened up to Wildbad-Gastein in See also:September 1905), which goes to Mallnitz, piercing the Tauern range by atunnel 9260 yds. in length. The See also:principal villages of the valley are See also:Hof-Gastein, Wildbad-Gastein and Bockstein. HOF-GASTEIN, pop. (1900) 840, the See also:capital of the valley, is also a watering-See also:place, the thermal See also:waters being conveyed here from Wildbad-Gastein by a conduit 5 M. long, constructed in 1828 by the See also:emperor See also:Francis I. of Austria. Hof-Gastein was, after Salzburg, the richest place in the duchy, owing to its See also:gold and See also:silver mines, which were already worked during the See also:Roman See also:period. During the 16th See also:century these mines were yielding annually z18o lb of gold and 9500 lb of silver, but since the 17th century. they havebeen much neglected and many of them are now covered by glaciers. WILDBAD-See also:GAS LEIN, commonly called See also:Bad-Gastein, one of the most celebrated watering-places in See also:Europe, is picturesquely, situated in the narrow valley of the Gasteiner Ache, at an See also:altitude of 3480 ft.

The thermal springs, which issue from the See also:

granite mountains, have a temperature of 77°-120° F., and yield about 88o,000 gallons of See also:water daily. The water contains only 0.35 to 1000 of mineral ingredients and is used for bathing purposes. The springs are resorted to in cases of See also:nervous affections, senile and See also:general debility, skin diseases, See also:gout and See also:rheumatism. Wildbad-Gastein is annually visited by over 8500 guests. The springs were known as See also:early as the 7th century, but first came into fame by a successful visit paid to them by See also:Duke See also:Frederick of Austria in 1436. Gastein was a favourite resort of See also:William I. of See also:Prussia and of the See also:Austrian imperial See also:family, and it was here that, on the 14th of See also:August 1865, was signed the agreement known as the Gastein See also:Convention, which by dividing the See also:administration of the conquered provinces of See also:Schleswig and See also:Holstein between Austria and Prussia postponed for a while the outbreak of See also:war between the two See also:powers. It was also here (August-September 1879) that See also:Prince See also:Bismarck negotiated with See also:Count See also:Julius See also:Andrassy the Austro-See also:German treaty, which resulted in the formation of the Triple See also:Alliance. See Proll, Gastein, Its Springs and See also:Climate (See also:Vienna, 5th ed., 1893).

End of Article: GASTEIN

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