Werfen

Geschichte

Werfen is a market town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is mainly known for medieval Hohenwerfen Castle and the Eisriesenwelt ice cave, the largest in the world.GeographyWerfen is located in the northwest of the historic Pongau region, about 40km south of the city of Salzburg. The settlement is situated in the Salzach valley south of the Pass Lueg gorge, between the Berchtesgaden Alps (Hagen Mountains and the Hochkönig massif) in the west and the Tennen Mountains in the east. The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line (Giselabahn) and the Tauern Autobahn run parallel to the river. The region is known as the type locality of the geologic Werfen Formation, a Triassic stone layer of the Limestone Alps.The municipality comprises the cadastral communities (Katastralgemeinden) of Reitsam, Scharten, Sulzau, Werfen Markt, and Wimm.