Salzach

 ( Austria–germany Border ) 

The Salzach () is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of 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.

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Etymology The river's name is derived from the German language word "salt" and Aach. Until the 19th century, shipping of salt down the Salzach was an important part of the local economy. The shipping ended when the parallel Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line replaced the old transport system.

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Course The Salzach is the main river in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The source is located on the edge of the Kitzbühel Alps near Krimml in the western Pinzgau region. Its headstreams drain several alpine pastures at around (metres above the Adriatic), between Krimml and the Tyrolean state border, north of the Gerlos Pass on the slopes of the Salzachgeier () and the nearby Schwebenkopf peak ).

From here, it runs eastwards through a large valley via Bruck south of Lake Zell to Schwarzach im Pongau. It then turns northwards and passes Sankt Johann im Pongau. North of here, the Salzach forms the narrow Salzachöfen Gorge between the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Tennen Mountains and before flowing to Hallein and the city of Salzburg. From the junction with its Saalach tributary in the northern Salzburg basin, the Salzach forms the border between Bavaria, Germany and the Austrian states of Salzburg and Upper Austria for almost . Cities on the banks in this lower section include Laufen and its sister town Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Tittmoning, and Burghausen. All these towns have border crossings.

The river finally empties into the Inn in Haiming between Burghausen and Braunau.

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Tributaries Upper and lower reaches: , and from the Kitzbühel Alps, Krimmler Ache, , , , , , , from the High Tauern, Pinzga from Lake Zell, Fuscher Ache, from the High Tauern, from the Salzburg Slate Alps, , , from the High Tauern, from the , and from the Hochkönig.

Lower reaches: Lammer from the east, (in the ) from the Berchtesgaden Alps, and Almbach from the , both from the Osterhorn Group, Königsseer Ache from the Königssee, , Fischach from the lake Wallersee, Klausbach, Saalach the largest tributaries, Sur and Götzinger Achen on the Bavarian side, Oichten near Oberndorf and Moosach in the Salzburg-Upper Austrian border region.

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Hydroelectric power plants Currently, there are 12 Hydroelectricity power plants on the Salzach. The power plants are listed beginning at the headwaters:

Schwarzach	120 MW	482
Wallnerau	13 MW	38
St. Veit	16 MW	67
St. Johann	16 MW	71
Urreiting	16 MW	76
Bischofshofen	16 MW	70
Kreuzbergmaut	18 MW	80
Werfen-Pfarrwerfen	16 MW	81
Gamp	8 MW	53
Sohlstufe Hallein	16 MW	81
Urstein	22 MW	120
Sohlstufe Lehen	13 MW	81

== Photos ==

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See also

• Salza (Austria)

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Sources

• Österreichisches Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft: Die Salzach - ein Fluss bewegt! (PDF, 7,94 MB)
• Norbert Winding und Dieter Vogel (Hrsg.): Die Salzach. Wildfluss in der Kulturlandschaft. Verlag Kiebitz Buch, Vilsbiburg 2003,

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