Ramsau am Dachstein () is a municipality in the district of Liezen,

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

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 ...

. It is also the name of the elevated plateau between the Dachstein range and the Enns valley on which this municipality is located. The appendage ''am Dachstein'' is added to distinguish the municipality from others of the same name existing in Austria. It is usually omitted in common speech.

Geography

Ramsau am Dachstein is situated between the Dachstein range of mountains in the north and the Enns valley in the south. While the Dachstein range contains peaks up to 2,995 m (9,826 ft) and the towns of the Enns valley, such as

Schladming Schladming () is a small former mining town in the northwest of the Austrian state of Styria that is now a popular tourist destination. It has become a large winter-sports resort and has held various skiing competitions, including most notably th ...

, lie at around 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level, the Ramsau

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

is a comparatively level piece of land at an elevation of around 1,100 m (3,600 ft). Towards the north, some hills at the foot of the mountain range rise up to 1,700 m (5,600 ft). At approximately 75 km² (29 sq mi), the plateau is an exceptional geological feature in the rugged terrain of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

which is more usually characterized by high mountain ranges and narrow valleys. The municipality of Ramsau am Dachstein is made up of several smaller towns, namely Leiten, Rössing, Ramsau, Schildlehen, Vorberg and Hirzegg. Owing to their position on a plateau, the settlements are more spread out than in a typical Alpine valley. The overall population of the municipality was recorded as 2,701 in the 2001 census.

History

The name Ramsau was first recorded as ''Ramsowe'' in a document dated to around 1120 AD. Important landowners during the feudal period and beyond were the abbeys of Admont and St. Peter's. After the events of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

of the 16th century, the relatively secluded Ramsau emerged as one of the few thoroughly

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

communities in Austria; something which it remains to this day. As early as the 15th century, the area established a tradition in the manufacture of loden, a thick cloth used in the traditional dress of the wider region. With the advent of commercial tourism in the late 19th century the area gained another steady source of income.

Tourism and sports

Due to its exceptional geography of relatively flat terrain at a high elevation, the Ramsau plateau has developed as a major center for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

. Owing to the historically close connection of cross-country skiing and

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

(cf. Nordic sports), several ski jumps were erected in the region in the 20th century. The

International Ski Federation The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...

chose the Nordic venues of Ramsau am Dachstein to be the location of the 1999 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. There are also several smaller lifts for Alpine skiing along the hills on the north side of the plateau. In addition, Ramsau hosts the base station of the cable car leading up to the Dachstein glacier. On top of the Dachstein, there is a year-round resort for

Alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

, and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

Notable people

* The Austrian ski mountaineer Andreas Fischbacher was born in Ramsau.

References

* Ramsau am Dachstein from the German-language Wikipedia. Retrieved June 24, 2006.

External links

Official websiteInfo-Plattform about Ramsau in 58 Languages
* http://austria.europe-mountains.com/styria/ramsau-am-dachstein.aspx {{authority control Cities and towns in Liezen District