Avalanche Sign | Dalaas
The Dalaas train station, which opened in 1884, was destroyed by the Muttentobella avalanche on January 12, 1954. The devastating disaster claimed ten lives, including that of Wilhelm Purtscher, a railway supervisor known throughout the region. Subsequently, the station—which still stands today—was rebuilt, and a memorial was erected.
With the construction of the Arlberg Railway, Dalaas gained its own train station, built in the typical old-Austrian architectural style of the time. Nearby, Ferdinand Fritz had the Paradies Inn built, which became the first stop for rail travelers. Both buildings are depicted on numerous old postcards. Dalaas was also the seat of the Lehnenbahnmeisterei, an important agency in the Klostertal valley that was established to protect the railway facilities.
On January 12, 1954, the Dalaas train station was destroyed in an avalanche accident when, shortly after midnight, massive masses of snow broke loose below the Allhöhe. The Muttentobel avalanche struck a passenger train that had become trapped; its passengers escaped with only a scare. However, ten people were killed inside the station building, including Wilhelm Purtscher, a railway engineer and nationally renowned expert on natural phenomena. Subsequently, a new station building was constructed in Dalaas. To the east of it stands a memorial to the victims of the 1954 avalanche disaster.
Address
Avalanche Sign | Dalaas
Bahnhofstraße
6752 Dalaas