B: MOSERBODEN DAM BUILDING

The terrain plus the weather gave rise to severe flooding in many years; and the loss to Austria of the Czechoslovakian coal fields meant that the First Republic was short of energy. Plans were developed to solve both these problems by a huge hydro-electric scheme – but the plans far exceeded Austria’s capabilities. With the Anschluss came new ideas, new funds, and new labour – the latter being refugees and POWs. The first electric power was generated on 17 Nov 1944, from temporary constructions. The labour camp lay underneath the waters of today’s lower reservoir; and most history books don’t cover these events. However the 50th anniversary exhibition at Kaprun in 1994 did; and produced a leaflet summarising the true history as well as noting the many myths.

Some of the "guest workers" were Ukrainian. They were provided with reply-paid cards to send and receive messages from their homes; the replies are cancelled ALEXANDERSTADT (UKRAINE) DEUTSCH DIENSTPOST UKRAINE.

After the was ended the temporary constructions were removed; and soon today’s installation was started. The upper dam operates as a pumped storage system: water is pumped uphill in off-peak times and used for generation at on-peak. A set of commemorative stamps was issued in 26 March 1962 to mark the 15tht anniversary of the post-war electricity generation arrangements; one features the upper Kaprun dams. The blackprint text says:

In 1945, the power industry was in a disastrous state. In the course of World War II, extensive destruction resulted in an almost absolute interruption of power supply in Austria. It was only the public sector that was capable of coping with the repair and construction work required in the field of electricity generation. Thus, the Austrian parliament adopted the law on the nationalisation of Austria’s power industry on March 26, 1947.

The large-scale production of electricity was entrusted to specialised companies organised as joint-stock corporations in which the federal state had to hold a share of at least 50 %. The Verbundgesellschaft, a central holding company entirely owned by the federal state, was created to ensure the large-scale distribution of energy in Austria. For that purpose, it operates a long-distance, high-voltage cable network, while provincial companies are responsible for the distribution to the consumers in the individual provinces. Additionally, there are municipal electricity utilities (in the provincial capitals) and power plants owned by industrial companies. Kaprun power plant, which is a storage power station, and the two dams shown in this stamp - Drossensperre and Moserbodensperre - were constructed in the years from 1952 to 1955.

C: THE MOSERBODEN DAM TODAY

In summer, hordes of tourists are taken in special buses from Kesselfall-Alpenhaus up to Moserboden. The site of the old Moserboden hotel is now under the water. A replacement was constructed (it can be seen on the commemorative stamp), but on environmental grounds it was recently demolished.

The philatelic connection? The special buses are Post Buses!

©APS. Last updated 6 Oct 2009