“A new quality“ is what the modernized train station in the Austrian tourist town of Lienz is supposed to have, promises the national railroad company ÖBB. This includes not only some new services, which are summarized under the name “Mobility Center.“ The entire facility, consisting of the station building, platforms and a sidewalk and bike path underpass, has also been visually upgraded.
A natural stone from the surrounding area “significantly shapes the image of the underpass,“ according to a press release. The photos provided to us by ÖBB prove this: for a public pathway, the passage looks downright classy, and the station’s entrance hall also benefits from the value that the natural stone exudes.
The building, by the way, dates back to 1871.
The natural stone is Dorfergrün gneiss, which is quarried near Hinterbichl at the entrance to the village valley. The distance to there is about 30 km, from the CO2 footprint a favorable distance, regardless of the differences in altitude. The area lies at the foot of the massifs of Grossvenediger (3657 m) and Grossglockner (3798 m).
The stone captivates with its strong green color and white veins. It has been mined at about 1400 m above sea level since 1995. In a quarry 400 m higher up in the Dorfertal valley, the darker Tauern green has been extracted since the 1960s.
Both quarries are operated by the German company Lauster Steinbau GmbH based in Stuttgart.
The Dorfergrün was formed in the course of a rock transformation (metamorphosis) from a previous basalt. The process took place many millions of years ago under a primeval sea, where great heat and pressure transformed the original material into a new one. The gneiss came to the surface with the unfolding of the Tauern window, this again over a period of many millions of years.
Lienz is situated at about 600 meters above sea level in a kind of basin where 3 mountain valleys meet. However, some points of the municipality reach 2000 m above sea level.
Photos: ÖBB / Brunner Images
(21.09.2022, USA: 09.21.2022)