A small village founded in 1205, which lies at the northern end of the road which will bear its name. Today a small fort (little more than a wooden palisade) guards the road. The Dachstein massif and Tennen Gebirge stand to the north across the winding Enns river, only 30 feet wide at this point, while the formidible wooded slopes of the Niedere Taurern line the southern side of the Valley.
This is the final resting place of the many who died trying to cross the difficult Radstater-Tauern pass. Located a few miles south of Radstadt, it holds the remains of many kind of travellers, as this route used to lie along the old Roman Amber Road.
It reaches 8200 feet over the Enns valley to its south. Its craggy walls of petrified limestone rise sharply up along the valley, covered in a peculiar green moss. From its rocky precipice it slopes quite gently down and into the foothills of the Salzkammergut, covered with fir trees all the while. Many caves lie within the ancient structure, the greatest of the Massifs in Austria. Among the most notable are the Koppenbruller Caves , the only living caves in the area, with water tightening to form a waterspout in the spring thaws, roaring out and down the sharp south side. Other dead caves also wind through the Massif, including some filled with ice.
These mountains are the northern side of the Enns Valley from the Dachstein, east to the Ennstaller and Eisenertz.
Small town enriched by the salt trade, it is a common stop en route to and from the Enns valley. A road winds up the steep slopes of the Niedere Tauern to the south, leading to the Mur Valley and the village Moderbrugg on the other side. The Priory of Rottenmann stands amidst the cluster of huts, and town walls are being constructed. The Gross Grimmig stands to the southwest (altitude 7700ft).
The cultural center of the Enns Valley, a Benedictine Order founded in 1060 by St. Emma of Gurk and Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg. Its lands and wealth are extensive, as witnessed by the ironwrought railings in the large library. A great stone building hulking over the lush green landscape, the Abbey has an impressive view of the Haller Massern and Gross Buchstein in the distance, 88 Miles from Salzburg.
The view from Admont Abbey
The Ennstaler mountains which stretch along the south side of the Enns valley, begin just south of the Abbey and reach eastward to the Eisenertz. The Enns River here rushes foaming, white and green, from the tumultuous waters flowing out of the Gesause gorge with its craggy peaks to the southeast. Although the Abbey's power diminishes outside of the Enns Valley, its influence can occasionally be felt in the neighboring Mur Valley to the south. One of the brothers here, Absolam, investigated the strange influence of a demon at Unterzeiring Priory (which is attached to Admont) and made the acquaintance of magi of Rabenstein.
This castle overlooks the Enns river along its north bank a mere 5 miles west of Admont Abbey. The Famous Styrian Minnesinger Ulrich von Liechenstein owns the fortress, though is often absent.
A village along the Enns river, 16 miles downriver from Admont. Winegrowing is practiced throughout the valley here.
The famous
Iron Mountain, a massive reddish-brown peak with little quarries and digs,
in the Eisenerz mountain chain which shoots eastward off the Niedere Tauern.
It rises to 5026 feet, though winter makes the stone too difficult to mine,
so all work is done in summer and warm weather. Few go deep inside the mountain,
though many passages lead therein. The iron ore within is 34% pure, and
is actually quarried - its pieces chipped away. It has been known for its
purity since Celtic times.
A mining town, poorly defended, but closely grouped around the foot of the village church. Built on steep ground, the town is mostly made of stone buildings with wooden rooves. A belltower, the Schichturm, stands apart on a near hillside, and rings to tell the miners when their shifts are over. The town is only differentiated from many other similar mining towns in that the main path from the Mur Valley to the Enns Valley passes through the village.
A small
lake with deep green waters that lies at the base of the rocky cliffs of
the Hochschwab, along its northern, forested side. The Seemaun river flows
out and northward, winding down and past the village of Eisenerz 11 miles
away. Although no villages dot the lakeside, a noble's hunting lodge stands
along the eastern bank. Rabenstein has learned that in ancient times this
place was called the Pool of Stars. See the adventure summary Mist of the Ancients.
This rocky terrace towers 3800 feet above the Salza valley, whose green cattle pastures stand in stark contrast to the abrupt entanglement of cliffs, clinging conifers and jutting peaks. A sawmill or two exist here.
The source of the Salza river, a lake which lies just to the east of the village Mariazell. Just above the lake, the Martenwasserfall , a small cascade, flows like a shimmering veil in a rocky niche from the mountain above.
A rival of Vienna, this town is huddled at the foot of a bluff, at the junction of the Steyr and Enns Rivers, only 25 miles from Linz. The eastern part of the town presses against the mountain, while the western half stretches out across the valley. A large granary supplies the town, and iron mines sit above the bluff. Pigs and sheep are herded here. It is located 13 miles upriver from Enns.
Steyr
A long, narrow lake in between Enns and Steyr along the river, with cold, dark waters bounded by thickly forested woods.
Possibly the oldest town in Austria, this town was once a Roman camp, and the capital of the Roman province of Noricum. Only 12 miles down river from Linz, here St. Florian, patron saint of Austria, was martyred in the 4th Century by Emperor Diocletian. The town gained a charter from the Duke of Austria in 1212 granting its freedom
This page last modified 2/8/98.
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