ÖBB memorial loses arm as restoration remains pending

A 117-year-old ÖBB-owned crucifix commemorating 26 workers killed in an avalanche is deteriorating further in the Anlauftal valley near Bad Gastein, ORF reported. Its right arm has broken or rusted off and now hangs beside the figure.

Rusted metal and damage from rain and melting snow have affected the sculpture and its stone base. The protective iron grille is also badly damaged. The memorial stands beside the road between Böckstein and the ÖBB Tauern Tunnel, close to an old bridge abutment of the Tauern railway.

ÖBB has said the memorial is to be restored in 2027 as part of the next major phase of work on the tunnel. The railway on the Salzburg side is due to close completely from February to July that year while infrastructure more than 100 years old is renewed.

A Salzburg restorer who reviewed photographs told ORF that the sculpture should be examined and secured promptly, before winter road salting begins. ÖBB manager and chief engineer Christiane Schiavinato said about a year and a half ago that specialists in art and cultural projects and professional restorers would be commissioned, with a dedicated budget included in the tunnel works.

The memorial recalls the avalanche of March 7, 1909, which buried two huts in the Anlauftal where 38 workers were building the Tauern railway. Twelve survived and 26 died. The victims came from different parts of the Habsburg Monarchy. Four months later, Emperor Franz Joseph opened the new rail link between Salzburg and Carinthia.

The crucifix is both a religious memorial and a record of the social and technological history of the monarchy’s final years. Despite its historical significance, the Federal Monuments Authority says it is not protected as a listed monument, while numerous other historic Tauern railway structures are protected.