1800 |
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| 1873 | Rudolf Riemann builds the first path up to the Schmittenhöhe. |
| 1874 | August 23: Ceremony to mark the opening of the Alpine Association House on the Schmittenhöhe |
| 1875 | August 6: the “Giselabahn”, a railway named after the eldest daughter of Emperor Franz Josef I and Empress Elisabeth, is opened and connects Zell am See to the railway network of Austro-Hungary. |
| 1876 | The first “Rangglerfest”, a festival of country wrestling on the Schmittenhöhe |
| 1877 | Construction of the first meteorological station on the summit of the Schmittenhöhe. Founding of the “Beautification Society” (later to become the Tourism Association) |
| 1879 | August 21: Opening of the so-called “Pinzgau Walk”. |
| 1882 | Construction of the Schweizerhütte (later the lift mid-station) |
| 1885 | August 9: Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) visits the Schmittenhöhe. |
| 1887 | Prof. Koch and Engineer Lukritz plan construction of a cog railway. |
| 1888 | First post office at the hotel on the Schmittenhöhe, with twice-daily postal pick-up/delivery from Jul.15 to Aug.31. |
| 1892 | Construction of the first avalanche-prevention barriers. |
| 1893 | Baron Lambert and Capt. Wittek make the first successful ascent of the Schmittenhöhe on skis. July 1: Emperor Franz Josef visits the Schmittenhöhe and spends the night at the mountain hotel. |
| 1897 | Construction of the first wind breaks and the stone wall on the Schmittenhöhe. |
| 1898 | January 3: Opening of the Pinzgau local railway line. |
1900 |
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| 1902/03 | Dr. Pircher, along with a small group of other enthusiasts, brings the sport of skiing to Zell am See; the two-pole prevails over the one-pole technique. |
| 1904/05 | Carl Haschke, owner of the summit hotel, builds the Elisabeth Chapel as a memorial to the Empress Elisabeth, who had been murdered in Geneva in 1898. |
| 1906 | February 19: First winter sports festival in Zell am See with a long-distance downhill ski race from the Schmittenhöhe. |
| 1919 | Renewed upswing in the region due to increasing popularity of winter sports |
| 1924 | October 30: The efforts of Dr. Bittner, Dr. Margreiter, Leo Gasteiger (with the support of the mayor, Josef Ernst) pay off, as they are awarded a preliminary concession for construction of a cable lift. |
| 1926 | Autumn: Presentation of a polished project proposal to the provincial governor, Dr. Franz Rehrl; the trio now became a sextet with the additional support of banker Carl Spängler Jr., hotelier Willi Schandlbauer, as well as the former mayor, Josef Wisgrill. October 18: First public presentation of the project |
| 1927 | Groundbreaking for the base terminus of the Schmittenhöhe Lift. December 31: The SCHMITTENHÖHEBAHN officially goes into operation, making it the first cable lift in Salzburg and only the fifth in Austria. |
| 1946/47 | Construction of a ski lift on the Breiteckalm (opened March 1947) |
| 1951 | Construction of a “Bunny Lift” by the base terminus |
| 1957 | Opening of the SONNENALMBAHN |
| 1958 | Building of the Ketting Lift |
| 1961 | Building of the “Chapel” and Fallegg lift |
| 1965 | Building of the Ebenberg lift |
| 1969 | Building of the Hochmais lift, as well as construction of the Hochmais and East Face ski slopes |
| 1969/70 | Building of the East Face lift |
| 1970/71 | A second route up to the Schmittenhöhe comes to fruition through construction of the AREITBAHN (double chair lift) and its connecting lift, the “Glocknerlift”; construction of the Schüttlift. |
| 1971/72 | Building of the Hirschkogelbahn, the Bruckberg lift and the Hahnkopf lift. |
| 1973/74 | Building of the Breiteck lift |
| 1977 | The ZELLER BERGBAHN commences operations, running from the town centre to the mid-station. Construction of the Sonnengratbahn |
| 1978 | Completion of conversions to the SONNENALMBAHN; Construction of the Enzian lift |
| 1979 | Construction of the summit lift, a 3-person chair lift |
| 1980 | Construction of the new Fallegg lift |
| 1981 | Building of the Sonnengrat lift and the Edelweiss lift |
| 1982 | Building of the new Ketting lift and the Schmiedhof lift; conversion of the Breiteckbahn |
| 1984 | New construction of the Sonnkogel lift, now a detachable triple chair lift; addition of a mountain restaurant |
| 1987 | 60-year anniversary of the Schmittenhöhe lift, having now carried more than 12.5 million people since its opening. |
| 1988 | Since their existence, the 26 lifts – servicing 70 km of slopes – have transported more than 130 million people. New construction of the AREITBAHN and GLOCKNERBAHN: at a cost of 180 million schillings, the Areitbahn is converted into a gondola lift with 6-person gondolas, while the Glocknerbahn becomes a detachable quad chair lift. In the process, great attention is paid to the environment and to blending harmoniously with the surrounding countryside. Through construction of expanded snowmaking capability, now servicing some 17 hectares, snowmaking also becomes possible on the “Standard” and “Trass” hills, on the slalom run and the Schmittental ski trail, thus guaranteeing quality skiing all the way down to the valley floor. The cost is around 43 million schillings. |
| 1989/90 | Expansion of snowmaking on the “North”, “Standard” and “Trass” hills – total of 38 hectares now serviceable by snowmakers. |
| 1994 | Introduction of the Skidata 350 ticket system featuring the KeyWatch, KeyCard etc. |
| 1995 | Rejuvenation and renovations to the High Promenade between the Schmittenhöhe and Sonnkogel; Construction of an interactive trail with uniform sign-posting and boards providing fascinating information. Areit Snowmaking Machines: Reliable snow conditions for the “Glocknerwiese”, the “Hirschkogel” hill, connecting trails and the “Schütt” run – taking into account the snowmaking capacity of Zell am See, some 65 hectares are now covered by snowmakers. “Gallery on the Slopes” with ten artworks by renowned sculptors displayed on the slopes of the Sonnkogel and Sonnenalm. |
| 1996 | Expansion of the Areitbahn with two additional sections (AREITBAHN
II/III: gondola lift with 6-person gondolas). This provided a direct lift
connection from Schüttdorf up to the Schmittenhöhe. With the new
lift completed, a new dining establishment opens at the Breiteck summit
terminus Permanent Halfpipe on the Glocknerwiese Areit snowmaking coverage now extended to an elevation of 1,700 m (Breiteckalm). |
| 1998 | Hirschkogelbahn is converted into a quad chair lift. Additional
snowmaking capability in the area adjacent to the mid-station. “Gallery on the Slopes II” |
| 1999 | Expansion of the Intersport Schmittenhöhe service network (incl. Zeller Bergbahn and the Drive-In located at Areitbahn III) |
2000 |
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| 2000 | Conversion of the Ebenbergbahn (into a double chair lift)
Rejuvenation of the “Jägersteig” |
| 2001 | Take-over of the Zell am See Cruise & Ferry Service from
the City of Zell am See (May 7) Conversion of the Kapellenbahn (to a quad chair lift) Expansion of snowmaking capability to an elevation of 2,000 m Update of the ticketing system (now exclusively touch-free access via KeyCards) Completion of the “Gallery on the Slopes” (now featuring 27 wood sculptures) |
| 2002 | Rejuvenation of the “Schmittenweg” path between
the Schmittenhöhe and Panorama-Pfiff restaurant. December 31: Start of 75-year anniversary festivities incl. re-enactment of the very first lift ride by officials from the Zell am See city government. |
| 2003 | Year marking the 75-year anniversary of the Schmittenhöhebahn
March 14: Prof. Heinrich Harrer, World Champion in the Academic Races held on the Schmittenhöhe back in 1937, returns 66 years later to the site of his success and relates tales from his life. Summer: Construction of a second reservoir, the “Brunnermais”; conversion of the “Zeller Bergbahn” into the “cityXpress”; completion of the plateau project at the summit, and creation of the “Elisabeth Trail” which circumnavigates the summit of the Schmittenhöhe. |
| 2005 | A year of investments Investments Shipment: Acquisition of the ms schmittenhöhe. The luxury ms is fitted out with the latest technology and a high level of comfort. On 12th May the ship-baptizes is celebrated at the zeller lake. The investements for the new ship: EUR 2 Mio.
Investments Mountain: Construction at the area of sonnenalm/sonnkogel. A new 6 person chairlift with bubbles and heated seats is built together with a new slope and a snow-system. Investments for sonnenalm/sonnkogel: EUR 14 Mio. |
| 2007 | Celebration of 80 year anniversary. Construction of the trassXpress and the reconstruction of the new Breiteckbahn. |
