The Möll (; presumably from , "rubble") is a river in northwestern
Carinthia in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, a left
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Drava
The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe. . Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
is .
Course
The river rises in the
High Tauern range of the
Central Eastern Alps on the
Pasterze Glacier at the foot of the
Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria. It discharges after flowing for a little over near
Möllbrücke into the Drava. At the beginning of its course, at the southeastern end of the
Pasterze Glacier, it is impounded to form the Margaritze Reservoir, from where part of the water is diverted via pressure tunnels across the
Alpine crest and Mt.
Wiesbachhorn to the reservoirs of the
Verbund hydroelectric power plant in
Kaprun,
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
.
The Möll then runs down to
Heiligenblut, parallel to the
Grossglockner High Alpine Road, and further southwards, separating the mountains of the
Schober Group in the west from the
Goldberg Group in the east. In the municipality of
Winklern, near the border with
Tyrol (
East Tyrol) at
Iselsberg Pass, it turns eastwards, running through the broad lower part of the Möll Valley () along the northern rim of the
Kreuzeck Group.
Downstream near
Stall, the Möll waters are again impounded into the Gößnitz Reservoir. At
Obervellach the river course is joined by the parallel
Tauern Railway line descending from
Mallnitz and the southern
Tauern Tunnel portal. Near
Kolbnitz and its confluence with the Drava, the Möll is once again dammed up to create the Rottau
equalizing basin. From here some of the water is diverted to the lower stage of the
Malta-Reisseck Power Plant in Möllbrücke.
The Möll is a popular
kayak white water river and one of the preferred
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
rivers in Carinthia.
Gallery
File:Goessnitzer stausee.jpg, Gößnitz Reservoir
File:Moell Penk seen from Zwenberg.jpg, Möll near Penk, seen from the Zwenberg
File: Rafting Moell.jpg, Rafting near Napplach
File:Reservoir rottau.jpg, Rottau equalizing basin. Right: the Oberwasser channel, that leads to Möll Valley Power Station. Left: the natural river bed though which only a fraction of the water flows.
File:Malta Unterstufe and Drau.jpg, Möll Valley Power Station. The water now empties into the Drau before the actual mouth of the Möll (left).
References
External links
Hydrographic service in Carinthia - online survey data
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moll
Rivers of Carinthia
Rivers of Austria