Kaprun is a town in the Zell am See district of Salzburg, Austria.

Kaprun is best known internationally for its remarkable mountain railways. One of them is Glacial Aerial Tramway Kaprun III, the third section of the aerial tramway up to 1 Kitzsteinhorn mountain . It runs over a 113.6-m-tall support pillar, the tallest support pillar of any aerial tramway in the world.

Understand

Kaprun III, with 113.6 m the tallest aerial tramway support pillar in the world

Kaprun's cutting-edge mountain transportation technology has been overshadowed by the Kaprun Disaster since 2000, when a funicular train caught fire inside the Kitzsteinhorn in the middle of the 3.3-km-long tunnel. 155 skiers and staff perished in the flames and smoke, and the tunnel has remained closed ever since. There is a 1 memorial at the former base station of the funicular.

History

A settlement named Chataprunnin, derived from the Celtic word for whitewater (referring to Kaprun's many white water streams), was first mentioned by the Duchy of Bavaria in 931. Since the 20th century, Kaprun became a popular ski resort, with thousands of skiers flocking to the town every winter to challenge the slopes of the Kitzsteinhorn.

Climate

Kaprun
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       50     −1 −5       60     3 −5       80     9 −1       90     14 2       110     18 6       130     22 9       140     23 10       130     23 11       100     18 9       90     12 5       70     5 −1       60     −1 −3 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm See the Kaprun forecast at Annual Weather Averages
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       2     30 23       2.4     37 23       3.1     48 30       3.5     57 36       4.3     64 43       5.1     72 48       5.5     73 50       5.1     73 52       3.9     64 48       3.5     54 41       2.8     41 30       2.4     30 27 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Kaprun has an Alpine climate with cold winters and wet summers. In winter, most of the precipitation falls as snow, giving the town a picturesque white cover.

See

• 2 Kaprun Castle (Burg Kaprun), Schloßstraße 55. (updated Sep 2018)
• 3 Vötter's Oldtimer Museum, Rosbachstraße, info@oldtimer-museum.at. (updated Sep 2018)

Sleep

• Pension Rieder, Häuslhofstraße 28, ☏ +43 65478688. Pension Rieder. Very nice, high-standard, 3-star boarding house near the centre. It has internal wellness area with infrared cabin, Finnish organic-sauna, steam bath, rest room and fitness area. Also table tennis (in- and outdoor), and carboard. 
• Landhotel Sonnblick, Schloss-Strasse 14, ☏ +43 6547 8301, sonnblick@landhotels.at. 

Connect

Tourist office hours: Monday to Friday: 09:00-18:00, Saturday: 09:00-12:00.

Go next

• Zell am See
• Hohe Tauern National Park with the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
• Heiligenblut