Bad Gastein, Thermal spa town in Hohe Tauern mountains, Austria
Bad Gastein is a thermal spa town in the Hohe Tauern range, part of the St. Johann im Pongau District in the state of Salzburg. The settlement sits on steep slopes above a central waterfall that cascades over rock ledges, with historic hotel buildings from the turn of the 20th century rising on either side of the gorge.
The thermal springs have been used since Roman times, though the settlement only developed into a fashionable resort during the nineteenth century. Emperor Franz Joseph opened the first high-altitude railway station in the Alps here in 1905, drawing wealthy visitors from Vienna, Budapest, and other European capitals.
The Belle Epoque buildings with tall facades and ornate balconies recall the time when European aristocrats came here seeking cures for rheumatism and respiratory ailments. Many locals still work in the thermal baths and hotels, where guests from several countries arrive to bathe in radon-rich waters or enjoy the mountain air.
The thermal springs maintain temperatures between 37 and 41 degrees Celsius (approximately 98 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit) and contain natural radon, which is believed to provide relief from rheumatic and respiratory complaints. Several bathhouses and the healing tunnel in the neighboring mountain are reachable on foot from the center, though steep paths and stairs require attention.
In the Gasteiner Heilstollen, a tunnel more than a kilometer long inside the mountain, patients rest on beds at temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit) and high humidity while inhaling the radon-rich air. Access is by a small narrow-gauge train that goes deep into the mountainside, where the air has a particular composition.
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