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Traunsee, Austria
www.traunseeschiffahrt.at
The Traunsee is in Austria's Salzkammergut region not far from Salzburg. The lake is formed where the river Traun descends out of the Alps towards lower ground before joining the Danube at Linz. Although not a large lake, there is a great contrast in scenery. At the northern end of the lake at Gmunden, the hillsides roll down to the lakeside. On the southern half of the lake the mountains shear steeply as the scenery turns distinctly alpine.

The paddle steamer era began in 1839 on the Traunsee and has continued in the hands of successive private operators until the current day, with
PS Gisela dating from 1871.
Withdrawn in 1980 and seemingly destined for the scrap yard, Gisela was saved by the efforts of local preservationists and is now integrated into the current operator's timetable on a limited basis. 



Above : Gisela, first in service in 1872 and remaining in service now represents the ultimate design of a Traunsee paddle steamer.
CURRENT PADDLE STEAMER
Gisela
HISTORICAL PADDLE STEAMERS
Sophie (1839-1861 : engine used in the replacement Sophie until 1901)
Elisabeth
(1859-1969)
Sophie
(1862-1928)
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