Elaborate rock securing on the fortress
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Extensive safety work in rocky terrain has been going on at the Hohensalzburg Fortress since Monday. Geologists have discovered loose pieces of rock there. A specialist company is now securing the affected areas.
On Monday the workers were busy on the upper Hasengrabenbastei. There they secured the tunnel that leads to the wheelchair lift. Parts of the tunnel were lined with shotcrete. In this way, visitors should be protected from any danger – in this case in the middle of the rock. “We are in the middle of the city, but it is high alpine terrain. The fortress sits on a mountain. That is why we have to constantly make sure that nothing falls down from the rock or the facade. We do regular visual checks and the geologists have to climb around the mountain once a year, ”says fortress administrator Bernhard Heil.
The securing work is very complex. Because when and each time the equipment is transported to the respective construction sites by helicopter.
Tremendous cost
“Every year we have to spend around 50,000 euros on smaller jobs that you don’t even notice. In the case of the large security measures, it goes into the range of one hundred thousand euros. For example, we made a fence on the north side, ”says Heil.
A specialist company secures loose pieces of rock on the fortress mountain in the city of Salzburg
The work on the south side of the fortress has already been completed. Loose rock was secured there. The rock was anchored in several places with long metal rods. In this way, both the base of the fortress structures should be secure and residents on the fortress mountain should be protected from possible rock eruptions.
Some rocks are more susceptible to weathering
The fortress mountain consists of different types of rock. The plate limestone receives special attention because it is susceptible to weathering, emphasizes Magdalena Pescoller, engineer at Geoconsult. “Water penetrates there, freezes and makes the stone brittle. That has to be examined and refurbished again and again. “
The rock securing work on the fortress Hochensalzburg should be completed this week.