The Saalach Valley (German : Saalachtal) is the name of the middle and upper reaches of the Saalach, a mountain river in the Austrian state of Salzburg (Pinzgau and Flachgau regions) and the southern part of the German state of Bavaria (in Berchtesgadener Land).
The main valley is about 70 km long and begins north of the Zeller See. It forms the broad vale of the Saalfelden Basin, the heart of the Saalachpinzgau region. Initially it separates the Kitzbühel Alps in the west, from where the Saalach originates, from the Salzburg Slate Alps in the east; later, it divides the Loferer Steinberge and the Chiemgau Alps in the west from the Berchtesgaden Alps in the east. Near Reichenhall and Großgmain the valley broadens again and ends between Freilassing and Salzburg, the Saalach flowing for its last few kilometres through the plain of the Salzburg-Freilassing Basin.
The roughly 30 km long upper reaches of the Saalach is not called the Saalachtal, but bears the name Glemmtal , the area of its source streams being called Hinterglemm.
The Saalach Valley was formed by the Salzach-Saalach Glacier. When it retreated the glacier left behind thick sheets of morainic debris about 10,000 years ago that extend from the Zeller See in the north to just in front of Saalfelden, roughly by the Kühbichl (875 m). In the post-glacial period, the Saalach flowed into the Zeller See and then into the Salzach river to the south. The drift deposits from the Glemmtal, that were laid down between the Zeller See and Maishofen as gravel, blocked the southerly course of the Saalach and force it to flow northwards along its present riverbed. This has been evinced by excavations between Atzing and Unterreit. [1]
The Pinzgau Road (B 311) runs through the Saalach Valley from Zell am See to just after Lofer followed by a short section of the Lofer Road (B 178) as far as the Austro-German border. In Bavaria the line of the valley is followed by the Bundesstraße 21 and, from Piding, the Bundesstraße 20 . This route is known as the Little German Corner (Kleines Deutsches Eck).
Salzburg is an Austrian federal state. In German it is called a Bundesland, a German-to-English dictionary translates that to federal state and the European Commission calls it a province. In German, its official name is Land Salzburg, to distinguish it from its eponymous capital Salzburg. For centuries, it was an independent Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. It borders Germany and Italy.
The Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is 227 kilometres (141 mi) in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of 6,829 km2 (2,637 sq mi) comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central Eastern Alps. 83% of its drainage basin lies in Austria, the remainder in Germany (Bavaria). Its largest tributaries are Lammer, Berchtesgadener Ache, Saalach, Sur and Götzinger Achen.
Berchtesgadener Land is a Landkreis (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Traunstein and by the state of Austria.
Freilassing, until 1923 Salzburghofen is a town of some 16,000 inhabitants in the southeastern corner of Bavaria, Germany. It belongs to the "Regierungsbezirk" Oberbayern and the "Landkreis" (County) of Berchtesgadener Land. Located very close to the German-Austrian border, Freilassing can be seen as the biggest satellite of Salzburg, the centre of which is eight kilometres away, on the other side of the border.
The Saalach is a 105-kilometre-long (65 mi) river in Austria and Germany, and a left tributary of the Salzach.
The Kitzbühel Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps surrounding the town of Kitzbühel in Tyrol, Austria. Geologically they are part of the western slate zone.
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its ski resorts and shoreline on Lake Zell. While Zell am See has been a favored winter and summer resort for the European aristocracy since the 19th century, it is known as a hub of the international jet set today.
The Bezirk Zell am See is an administrative district (Bezirk) in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pinzgau region.
Lofer is a market town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer is a town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg. With approximately 16,000 inhabitants, Saalfelden is the district's largest town and the third of the federal state after Salzburg and Hallein.
The Berchtesgaden Alps are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. It is crossed by the Austria–Germany border: the central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Land district of southeastern Bavaria, Germany, while the adjacent area in the north, east and south is part of the Austrian state of Salzburg.
The Salzburg Slate Alps are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Situated within the greywacke zone, they could be regarded either as part of the Northern Limestone Alps or of the Central Eastern Alps.
The Leogang Mountains are a mountain range in Austria in the state of Salzburg and form part of the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps. They are located between the Lofer valley, Saalfelden and Leogang and, together with the Lofer Mountains to the northwest, form two mountain massifs that are separated by the saddle of the Römersattel, but which the Alpine categorisation of the Eastern Alps defines as a single sub-group. The Leogang Mountains are separated from the Kitzbühel Alps to the south and the Steinernes Meer to the east by deeply incised valleys. Typical of the Steinberge are high plateaux with steep sides and sharply undulating high cirques.
The Großer Hundstod is, at 2,593 metres, one of the main peaks in the Steinernes Meer in the Berchtesgaden Alps, and lies on the border between Bavaria and the Austrian state of Salzburg.
The Glemmtal in the Austrian state of Salzburg is the valley of the roughly 30 km long upper reaches of the River Saalach. It belongs to the northern Pinzgau region and separates the Kitzbühel Alps in an east-west direction. Its main settlement is the village of Saalbach in Zell am See district.
The Saalach Valley Ridgeway is a roughly five-hour long ridgeway trail in the Salzburg part of the Kitzbühel Alps between Leogang and Saalfelden.
The Deutsches Eck is the name given to the shortest and most convenient road and railway link between the Austrian metropolitan region of Salzburg and the Tyrolean Unterland with the state capital Innsbruck.
The Rupertiwinkel is a small historic region on the southeastern border of Bavaria, Germany. Part of the Archbishopric of Salzburg until the early 19th century, it is named after the first Salzburg bishop Saint Rupert (c.660–710), apostle to the Duchy of Bavaria.
The border between the modern states of Austria and Germany has a length of 815.9 km (507.0 mi), or 815.0 km (506.4 mi) respectively. It is the longest international border of Austria and the second longest border of Germany with another country.
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