Kolnbrein Dam

The Kölnbreinsperre was built between 1971 and 1979 at the head of the Maltatal at about nineteen hundred metres, a double-curvature arch dam two hundred metres high and around six hundred and twenty-six long at the crown, which makes it the tallest dam in Austria; it holds a reservoir feeding the Malta hydro scheme, one of the largest pumped-storage systems in the country. Cracking appeared in the dam in the early 1980s and a substantial remedial structure was built at the base, which is visible and which the visitor information covers. A gallery inside the wall is open, and the Airwalk - a steel and glass platform cantilevered eleven metres out over the downstream face - puts you above the full drop. A hotel stands on the crown.

What you actually see

• Austria's tallest dam - two hundred metres of double-curvature arch concrete.
• The Airwalk - a glass platform cantilevered out over the downstream face.
• A gallery inside the wall - the inspection route open to visitors.
• The remedial works - the structure added after cracking appeared in the 1980s.

When to go

May to October; the road is closed by snow the rest of the year. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The toll road is long, steep and shut most of the year. Weather at 1,900 metres is often cold and cloudy. The Airwalk closes in wind and is not for anyone uneasy with heights.

Nearby

The Maltatal falls are down the road; Gmünd is at the valley mouth.