Road Construction to Bischofshofen
Today, it is hard to imagine reaching a
village only via narrow cart tracks and long
detours. In 1850, there were only two ways
to reach Mühlbach from Bischofshofen:
one over the Götschenberg along the
Haidberg, and the other through the
Gainfeldtal up to the Arthurhaus and then
to Mühlbach.
It wasn‘t until the establishment of the
smelter in "Blumau“ (now part of the
district "Schmelz“) in 1848 that the copper
mining association began construction
of a valley road along the Mühlbach to
Bischofshofen in 1852. In October 1852,
for the first time, copper produced over
the summer was transported as freight
via the new connection to Ausserfelden
(Mitterberghütten).
In late August 1879, a massive summer
storm destroyed the entire road with its
many bridges, resulting in significant
economic damage to the copper mining
industry. Already on December 4, 1879,
St. Barbara‘s Day, the first freight could
be transported via the newly constructed
road, which roughly followed today‘s
route. The journey began adorned with
wreaths in front of Prem‘s Inn (now
Gasthof Alpenrose) in Mühlbach.
For all locals and many tourists, this road
remains the only way to reach Mühlbach.
Kids
What is erosion?
If you've ever been to the beach or played by a river or stream, you may have seen waves crashing against the sand or small rocks being swept away by the river current. In the surrounding mountains, you may have noticed rocks or pieces of ground falling down the slopes
Water, wind, gravity and ice are powerful forces of nature! They can break rocks and landforms into smaller fragments or chemically alter and dissolve them. This process is known as weathering.
Through erosion, the elements of nature carry the fragments and other materials to different places where they can accumulate. Think of weathering as "making a mess" and erosion as "the one that cleans up the mess"! Living things and even we humans can also contribute to erosion and weathering: when we walk on a path, our shoes pick up soil and other things and carry them to a new place.
Together, weathering and erosion shape our landscape by breaking up and shifting materials. These processes happen every day without you realising it, but they lead to small changes in the world around us. Over time, these changes become much more noticeable!
Imagine what the beach or the riverbed will look like in 10, 20 or even hundreds of years! Do you think they will still look the same as you saw them?
Like other processes on Earth, weathering and erosion can happen very slowly. Although they happen all the time, it usually takes hundreds, thousands or even millions of years before we can see obvious changes! Of course, sometimes they can also lead to immediate results, such as when a large landslide quickly changes the face of a mountain!
What is erosion?
When exposed to the atmosphere and the elements of nature - such as water, gravity, ice and organisms - rocks and landforms can break down into smaller fragments or break down chemically. This physical and chemical wearing away of the soil is called weathering, while its products - the solid parts and dissolved ions - are called sediments.
Through erosion, the same natural forces carry and move these sediments and other materials - such as soil - to different places where they eventually accumulate.
Along with other earth processes, weathering and erosion help to form and change our physical landscape by breaking up and moving materials. Given enough time, these processes can carve valleys, form mountains and change entire coastlines! We also benefit from weathering and erosion through the formation of soil! Given enough time, rivers cut vertically into mountains or plains and form deep valleys!
Weathering and erosion take place every day. Rivers carry away the river bed and transport sediments downstream. Rocks and pieces of soil can collapse and fall down steep mountain slopes. The wind blows loose sand and dust to different places. Plants, insects and other organisms break up and loosen the soil. Through activities such as agriculture and construction, humans can also be involved in weathering and erosion.
Like other processes on Earth, weathering and erosion are usually very slow. Although they happen all the time, it usually takes hundreds, thousands or even millions of years before we can see obvious changes! Of course, sometimes they can lead to immediate results, such as when a large landslide quickly changes the face of a mountain!
What is erosion?
When exposed to the atmosphere and the elements of nature - such as water, gravity, ice and organisms - rocks and landforms can be mechanically broken down into smaller fragments or chemically broken down into dissolved substances. This physical and chemical wear process is called weathering, and its products - the solid particles and dissolved ions - are called sediments.
Through erosion, the elements of nature carry and move these sediments and other materials - such as soil - to different locations, where they are eventually deposited and lithified into sedimentary rock.
As they take place on the earth's surface, weathering and erosion are exogenous processes. They are important parts of the rock cycle and contribute to the formation and modification of our physical landscape by breaking up materials and transporting them to different environments. Given enough time, these processes can shape valleys and mountains and change entire coasts! We also benefit from weathering and erosion through the formation of soil.
Weathering and erosion take place every day. Rivers erode the riverbed and carry sediments downstream. In steep mountains, rocks or parts of the ground can collapse and fall down the slopes. The wind blows loose sand and dust to different places. As they flow, glaciers abrade the underlying surface and tear large debris from the ground. Of course, organisms and humans can also cause weathering and erosion by breaking up and loosening the soil or through activities such as farming and construction.
Like other earth processes, weathering and erosion take place very slowly. Although they happen all the time, it usually takes hundreds, thousands or even millions of years before we can see large-scale changes! Of course, sometimes they can lead to immediate results, such as a large landslide that quickly changes the face of a mountain!
Take the time now to look at the landscape of Bischofshofen and the Pongau region today: We have a deep valley surrounded by rounded hills and steep peaks! Much of today's landscape was formed by glacial erosion during the last ice age (around 20,000 years ago). As there are no longer any glaciers at lower altitudes, other forms of erosion - such as the movement of the Salzach and other streams - continue to characterise our physical landscape.
Can you imagine what it will look like in 20, 50 or even thousands of years?
English 
German 