The Traunfall

Making a Waterfall Navigable

Between Gmunden and Stadl Paura near Roitham lies the Traunfall, a 10-meter high waterfall. This presents a significant obstacle to making the Traun navigable and can only be overcome during the reign of Queen Elisabeth. Historical documents attest to constructions dating back to the early 14th century. In 1311, the Traunfall is said to have been navigable for the first time. At the end of the 14th century, workers constructed an artificial canal, and at the beginning of the 15th century, the entire facility was renewed.

Its final form, which changed little until its decline in the 20th century, is given to the Traunfall in the mid-16th century by Thomas Seeauer. This watermaster creates an extraordinary hydraulic structure here.

The Traunfall itself is formed by an approximately 10-meter high conglomerate rock step that slopes through the deep-cut riverbed. On the right bank is a moderately sloping hill. There, the famous navigation channel, the centerpiece of the facility, is installed.

Workers have placed a guide structure on the rock step, following its irregular line for about 200 meters and strengthened by stone boxes. Lift gates can close the Wilde-Fall-Klause, serving for water level regulation at both the canal inlet and outlet. This is crucial to ensure a certain minimum water level for the safe passage of ships into the riverbed.

At the end of the guide structure, the canal branches off on the right bank. However, it does not have a uniform gradient but is stepped. The slope is lowest at the inlet, variable in the middle part, and the canal route is not straight, exhibiting multiple curves.

The canal is lined with boards and beams on the bottoms and walls. Slots in the floor allow water to escape, causing the water level in the canal to decrease towards the outlet. Initially, the water depth is 65 cm. At the exit, it is only 32 cm. This is necessary as the canal gradient decreases in the same direction to a 6.75 percent slope, requiring the ships to be slowed down. The low water level ensures that the ships glide on the boards at the end of the canal, significantly reducing their speed.

The average journey of a salt ship through the entire canal lasts only 54 seconds. The salt ships cannot be steered in the canal. Additionally, the Wilde-Fall-Klause serves to create a water level at the canal exit that surpasses the canal's sole, allowing safe transition for the exiting ships into the free Traun.

After World War II, significant changes occur with the construction of the Traunfall power plant. From the 1970s onwards, concrete structures replace the original wooden guide structures. Today, only semi-buried remnants of stone boxes and ashlar walls from the original canal construction remain.