Untersberg Cable Car, Austria

Date Built	1961
Location	St. Leonhard
Description
The Untersberg cable car went into operation for the first time on February 18, 1961. It connects the community of St Leonard, on the outskirts of Salzburg, with a point 1320m up the Untersberg mountain. The two car system features a free-hanging span of an impressive 1.548km and at one point the cars are hanging 286m above the ground. The www.groedig.net website says that, ".... Nowadays, it is hard to imagine the Untersberg without its cable car, especially since about 100,000 skiers and hikers use the cable car year-round for a relaxing ride to the summit. Expect some goosebumps along the way though, because the enclosed gondola ascends directly alongside the rocky precipices on the ride to the summit." Adding that, "... Even today, nearly 60 years later, looking up at the summit from the base of the mountain shows just how challenging this project was for the engineers and workers. The sites where the support towers now stand could only be reached and marked out by experienced climbers using ropes."