Relive the story of an Austrian gold rush in Rauris

By Bernd F Meier Aug 16, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Rauris, Austria - The village of Rauris, situated in an Alpine valley in the Austrian province of Salzburg, has been settled for over four thousand years - but it has gained most of its fame from centuries of gold prospecting and mining in the area.

The valley of Rauris is home to the famous Tauern gold, which was used as far back as Roman times for coins, and prospectors still operate in the region in search of their fortune.

A child named Gabriel spots tiny shiny specks among the grey sand in her gold pan and asks if it's gold.

'Yes, it really is gold,' confirms Theodor Huber, a professional gold washer working at the Huettwinkelache mountain river where tourists can engage in gold prospecting from June until the end of September.

The Romans began mining for gold in the area around Rauris from 130 BC onwards with the industry reaching its peak between the 15th and 17th centuries when at times up to 3,000 prospectors worked in tunnels dug in the 35-kilometre-long mountain valley that is today part of the Tauern National Park.

During this period, miners excavated up to 16 kilograms of pure gold per year, attracting numerous gold dealers, hoteliers, tradesmen and administrators to Rauris, where they constructed comfortable stone houses to live in.

The underground tunnels stretch to a length of 100km under the valley.

'To this day there are closed tunnels that lead to Sportgastein in the neighbouring valley,' explains Marina Breycha of the Rauris tourist office.

The gold rush ended abruptly in the 16th century when exceptionally heavy snow covered the tunnel entrances at a height of 2,000m, causing huge amounts of ice to fill the caverns.

There was very little activity in Rauris until the middle of the 19th century when local shepherd boy Ignaz Rojacher, who is considered one of the village's greatest sons, secured the mining rights and began prospecting once again.

Rojacher managed to excavate 15kg of pure gold and 38kg of silver per year out of rock with some nuggets as broad as a finger.

The gold fever subsided once again in 1888 when Rojacher sold the mining rights on. Several others attempted to make mining a going concern but without success, while in 1984, an American company even suggested extracting gold within the national park with the help of highly poisonous sodium cyanide.

The old artisan houses with their gothic arches are a reminder of boom times in Ruaris, while the Tauern gold walking route allows hikers to discover the crumbling mines of the past.

The route winds its way along the Rauris valley and takes around four hours to complete. It is part of a 300km-long, well-signposted hiking network that gives tourists the chance to explore not only the Tauern valley but its four neighbouring valleys too.

Guided tours by national park rangers are also available where golden eagles, griffon vultures and, with a bit of luck, bearded vultures, which were re-introduced to the area in 1986, can be observed.

Rojacher was responsible for Rauris getting electricity at a very early stage, while his biggest success is probably the weather and climate research observatory at the Hohen Sonnblick.

The observatory is situated at a height of 3,105m, making it the highest such permanently-manned facility in Europe, but the trail from Kolm Saigurn should only be attempted by experienced hikers. The observatory celebrates its 125th anniversary on September 2 this year.