Geography View of the upper Gastein valley Bad Gastein is located in the historic Pongau District. It stretches along the upper Gastein Valley following the course of the Gastein Ache creek. The valley separates the Hohe Tauern Ankogel Group in the east from the Goldberg Group in the west. The town centre is located at the Gastein waterfall, about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level.
Transportation The Gastein valley is accessible by the Tauern Railway, a major railroad running from Schwarzach im Pongau in the north across the Tauern Railway Tunnel to Spittal an der Drau, Carinthia in the south. Frequent Euro City and InterCity trains going along this route connect Bad Gastein with many Austrian cities like Vienna, Linz, Salzburg and Graz. Spa and therapy
Gastein waterfall The German word "Bad" means "spa", reflecting the town's history as a health resort. The local Heilstollen (literally 'healing tunnel') thermal spring water earned the town its early fame. Theophrastus Parcelsus (1493–1541) had studied the spring water to discover its secrets.[citation needed] In the 16th century the Gastein Hot Springs, known as the Wildbad, started to become a popular spa destination. In the 18th century the Salzburg archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo reignited the fashion for visiting the Gastein Hot Springs. He had a classicist palace built in Bad Gastein at which he resided during his summer spa stays. In 1807 the palace was restored as public health resort. This exclusive resort was promoted by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He had a coach service built between Salzburg and Bad Gastein. In 1807 Bad Gastein was visited by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, he was looking for ideas on how to improve his health in the imperial and royal bath. Ultimately the emperor joined a spa project in Bad Hofgastein that was financed by Ladislaus Pyrker. An English coffeehouses was built in 1850 in Bad Gastein. Radon therapy began to be administered in Bad Gastein . Radon inhalation therapy at the Gasteiner Heilstollen began as a result of further investigation into the experiences of humans who worked in silver mining who noticed improvements in symptoms from various ailments. Like any Austrian spa town in the early 19th century, Bad Gastein did not only attract desperate patients. The Grandhotel Gasteinerhof has residential outbuildings and modern urban design integrates the historic ensemble, which includes a spa with a glass corridor over a creek with pristine alpine water. The Austrian spa of Bad Gastein has special trains for spa guests, who are driven deep into the cave of the Böckstein mountain. There guests can lie for several hours to breathe in radon gas. To accommodate spa guests, the tunnels originally dug for gold mining have been converted.