Kronhofgraben
Coordinates: 46 ° 37 '50 " N , 13 ° 2' 48" E
The Kronhofgraben is an approximately 6.2 km long ditch (valley) that begins in the village of Weidenburg in Carinthia and runs from there towards Kronhofer Törl . The Kronhofgraben, with the Promoser area bordering it to the south, is a natural and cultural area that is characterized by diversity and contrast. The area is traversed by the Assnitzbach and the Frondellbach flowing into it .
overview
The lowest part of the trench up to an altitude of about 1000 m, which is similar to a gorge in terms of the shape of the valley , is lined with steep rock faces. The next largest part of the Kronhofgraben, which has only slight inclines, corresponds to a Kerbsohlental that becomes wider and wider towards the Untere Bischofalm . Before the Kronhofgraben ends in a basin at Kronhofer Törl ( 1785 m ), it briefly has the character of a gorge. The Kronhofgraben owes its scenic charm to the relatively quick change from coniferous forests in the lowest part to individual older beech trees that mix with the coniferous wood. From an altitude of 1100 m above sea level, in addition to the alpine pastures of the Untere Bischofalm, there are only all kinds of wild bushes and green alder and finally rocky stones overgrown with grass. A path next to the Assnitzbach led through the Kronhofgraben very early on. It was not until the 1970s that it became through today's driveway, which used to be an important access route to the Bruggeralm ( Klein Frondell Alm ), the Köderalm , the Kronhofer Alm , the Bischofalm (formerly the German Skarnitzalm or Gurnigalm ), the Walischen Skarnitzalm and to the Frondell Alm . The path, which is still evidenced by some ruins next to the stream, not only served to supply the alpine pastures, but also mills and sawmills were driven with the water of the stream.
As a mountain stream, the Assnitzbach is an ideal fishing area with many local types of fish. The uncontrolled extraction of water for a hydropower plant has repeatedly caused damage to the fish population in the Assnitzbach in the past. Shortly before the Kronhofgraben ends in Weidenburg, there is a fish farm that is fed by the water of the stream.
Carnic high path
The Carnic High Trail forms a section of the Via Alpina , more precisely the Red Trail of the Via Alpina. The stage is R20: over the Köderkopf ( 2150 m ) to the Lower Valentinalm ( 1211 m ). From the Zollnerseehütte and up to the Köderkopf, the stage runs in the Kronhofgraben area. Past the Oberen Bischofalm and on the flank of Monte Skarnitz, the path strives west. Passing just below the Kronhofer Törl, the route now climbs over the Köderalm to the Köderkopf, where there is still a deep view of the Upper Frondellalm. (Unlike the long-distance hikers, heading west on Via Alpina, the decidedly “Carnic” hikers mostly march in the opposite direction to the east, from the higher to the lower mountains.)
Ski mountaineering in the flanks of the Kronhofgraben
The well-known ski tour author Robert Zink cites the Köderhöhe ( 2228 m ), the Laucheck ( 2156 m ) and the Hohen Trieb ( 2199 m ) with Monte Scarniz ( 2175 m ) as ski peaks that can be climbed directly from the Kronhofgraben.
Gailtaler Almen in Kronhofgraben
Today there are two managed and cheese-producing alpine pastures in the Kronhofgraben area , the Untere Bischof Alm and the Frondell Alm . These alpine pastures are part of the Association of Gailtaler Almsennereien and produce the Gailtaler Almkäse PDO. Furthermore, the Bischofalm is a partner of Slow Food and Slow Food Travel Gailtal.
As in "The Alpine economy in Carinthia, 1875-1891", published by the KK Agricultural Society in Carinthia, read, the five time mountain huts in the area of Kronhofgrabens with a total of 1,705 head of cattle were in 1875 bumped . The total yield of fat cheese was given as around 20 tons. The Köderalm (then also 'Sfonderil') and the Walische Skarnitzalm ( three-tier ) had Italian owners, the Deutsche Skarnitzalm, the Bruggeralm and the Frondellalm ( three-tier ) were owned by Gailtal. The survey work was carried out at the time by Cosmas Schütz, secretary of the Carinthian Agricultural Society.
On the geology of the Kronhofgraben
The geologist Hans Peter Schönlaub writes: “The Kronhofgraben with its flanks is not only a special geological gem, but also a prime example of the geodiversity that prevails here. It is a largely untouched natural and cultural landscape that is very sensitive to human interventions. The geological tradition goes back well over 460 million years, two mountain formations and most recently the Ice Age with its peak between 18 and 20,000 years have shaped it. Slate and limestone of different ages build this area, which has been carefully and sustainably cultivated by man for centuries. Subsequent generations will be grateful to be able to enjoy and move in such pristine nature in the future too. "
Mining in the "Stirrwant"
The Stirrwant is a rock face that lies west of the Untere Bischofalm below the Brugger Alm in the Kronhofgraben. For a long time the exact location of the Stirrwant and the associated mining was unknown. The mining in the Stirrwant, which is at an altitude of about 1240 m to 1260 m above sea level, was probably still in operation in 1842. Today you can still find four cave-like installations with associated rubble as well as terraces with hand-drilled holes from this time. Since there is no path leading to the quarrying sites, it is assumed that the ore was transported over 100 m to the Assnitzbach by means of a sack truck. Subsequently, this was brought by grinding down to the valley in Laas / Pittersberg to the blast furnace, where it was melted. The iron deposits of the Stirrwant are not, as is usual in the Carnic Alps , tied to the inclusion of slate. At the border between Uggwa and Findig Limestone , it is up to one meter thick horizontally on strike and falling by 15 ° to the west. An ore analysis found 37.58% metallic iron.
The Weidenburg castle ruins
The Weidenburg castle ruins are located above the village of Weidenburg at the beginning of the Kronhofgraben.
The Weidenburger waterfall
The Weidenburger or Kronhofer waterfall ( list entry ) is at the end of the Kronhofgraben. The special thing about the Weidenburg waterfall is not the waterfall itself, as originally intended by the authorities when it was declared a natural monument, but the 20 m high rock step over which the water of the Assnitzbach falls. When water was withdrawn for a hydroelectric power plant above the waterfall, it repeatedly happened that it no longer lived up to its character. With this, the rock step, which consists of sandstone from the high peak formation , was declared a natural monument. Depending on the intensity of the precipitation and the time of year, the Weidenburg waterfall can now be perceived as a channel or a waterfall.
Web links
- The Frondell Alm at www.frondell-alm.at
- 220kV overhead line over the Kronhofer Törl refused
- Slow Food Travel Gailtal
swell
- ↑ E. Hölzl: COMMUNICATIONS of the Munich Entomological Society 1958
- ↑ District authority Hermagor: Damage to the fish population in Aßnitzbach, 2012 ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Fischzucht Zankl
- ↑ Robert Zink: Schialpinismus in the Carinthian Alps, Publisher Edizione Versante Sud, December 2016, ISBN 978-88-98609-51-2
- ↑ The Kronhofgraben, a geological total work of art
- ^ Alfred Pichler: Mining in West Carinthia: an inventory of the still visible features of the historical mining in West Carinthia, Natural Science Association f. Carinthia, October 2009, ISBN 3-85328-051-X
- ↑ Hans P. Schönlaub: The real hero is nature Geopark Carnic Region, Verlag d. Federal Geological Institute, August 2005, ISBN 3-85316-021-2
