Königssee sliding track reopens after five-year rebuild

The Königssee bob and luge track in Bavaria has reopened, five years after a 2021 storm badly damaged it. The venue returned to operation on Wednesday with the German luge championships, ORF reports.

The rebuild, including flood and rockfall protections, cost about 53 million euros. In 2021, large quantities of mud and debris swept down the Klingerbach stream and destroyed much of the track’s upper section.

Work included deepening the stream bed and building a debris barrier to protect the track from future floods and rockfalls. Project manager Fabian Amort said the track, torrent-control works and other protective measures had to be coordinated as three construction projects.

The reopening benefits athletes from Austria as well as Germany. Salzburg athletes had to train at other tracks while the Königssee venue was closed.

Construction is not fully complete: changes to the plans and environmental objections have delayed a planned start tower, which is now expected to be built next year. The venue is due to host the bobsleigh and skeleton World Cup and the luge world championships this winter.