The mountain village of Kaprun, a summer and winter resort, is set in the Hohe Tauern, southwest of Salzburg at the mouth of the Kapruner Tal. Along with the resort of Zell am See, it forms part of the Europa-Sport-Region. Set at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, this winter sports centre has a modest local population. Widely known as a hub for mountain climbing and hiking, the site gives skiers plenty to do, such as summer skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn. The town is also famous for its power plant, the Tauernkraftwerk Glockner-Kaprun, which has been active since 1939. Kaprun’s surroundings boast a large number of remarkable mountain railways, such as the Glaial Aerial Tramway Kaprun III, which runs over a 113.6-metre support pillar, making it the tallest in the world.
Kaprun is most widely revered for its high glacier skiing. The resort offers a total of 49 slopes, the majority of them catering to beginners and intermediates. There’s also a plethora of facilities for snowboarders, mostly centred around a well-equipped park. The Apres-Ski scene offers a variety of nighttime activities, ranging from attractive bars and clubs to a set of excellent restaurants and shops. Although Kaprun has its own modest nightlife scene, visitors can also take a shuttle bus over to lively Zell am See. The nightlife reaches its peak on Friday and Saturday nights, with almost all of the hotels and pensions welcoming outside guests.
Getting around in the area is easy and affordable, plus there’s a lot to see. The site’s highlight, Kitzsteinhorn, can be reached by a cable car, transferring to the Langweidbahn (a chairlift), or by the glacier railway, an underground funicular, to Alpine Centre, where you should switch to a cable car to the summit. A further sight here is the Panoramatunnel, opening onto a view of Hohe Tauern National Park. On clear days, you can observe Grossglockner (3,746 m) from here, Austria’s highest peak. Kaprun is also known for the Kapruner Tal, or the Valley of Kaprun. This site is accessible during the summertime, and is noted for its dams. Constructed in tiers, they were originally erected as part of the U.S. Marshall Plan. The hydro-electric plant, Turbinenhaus, set inside the Tauernkraftwerke, offers a spectacle of shafts, tunnels, turbines and bulwarks. The on-site museum displays technical drawings and photographs.