Memorial to the fire disaster at the Kaprun glacier cable car

The memorial to the Gletscherbahn Kaprun fire disaster is located in Kaprun, Pinzgau.

The disastrous fire on the Kaprun glacier cable car on November 11, 2000, which killed 155 people, is the Second Republic’s deadliest disaster to date.The memorial was built to honor the victims.On November 11, 2004, over 300 family gathered to commemorate the victims of the cable car catastrophe beside the valley station.

The 155 varied colored vertical glass slats are the focal point of the huge, timeless edifice composed of simple concrete.Each carries the victim’s name and date of birth.The color of the slats was chosen using the Feng Shui (Chinese philosophy of harmony) approach.The energies of the five elements are associated with Feng Shui: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.Norbert Karlsböck, Mayor of Kaprun: “In Chinese astrology, each year of birth is assigned an element.” The corresponding hue was allocated based on the victims’ birth dates.”

The architect Anton Michael from Rimsting in Chiemgau was in charge of the design.A working group filtered his concept out of 25 alternatives over a lengthy decision-making process.There were ten drafts left, from which five proposals were created.

400 grieving relatives from eight countries eventually participated in a complicated online voting.”85.6 percent voted for Anton Michael’s project,” Karlsböck said.

The narrow west side has a modest window opening that serves as a visual reference from the building to the ramp and tunnel entry to the accident scene.

The basic, narrow cube stands on a forecourt with modest sitting walls.

“The building is designed in such a way that it fits into the hillside plot without any significant change in topography, and barrier-free access is ensured,” says Anton Michael of his memorial project in Kaprun. The design is ageless and austere, developed with minimalism in mind to offer a space for quiet reflection. The reduction gives the space its vigor. To separate the structure from the well-known architectural language of ski huts, snow bars, and train stations, a roof form was purposefully avoided.”