Enns

The Enns is a river in Austria that flows for 253 kilometres before joining the Danube at the city of Enns. It begins near Flachau in the Radstädter Tauern mountains and passes through Salzburg, Styria, and Upper Austria. The river forms part of the border between Lower Austria and Upper Austria for much of its length. Its path includes a flat-J-shape, turning north near Hieflau after flowing eastward through towns like Radstadt and Liezen. The Enns cuts through the Gesäuse, a 15-kilometre gorge where it penetrates the limestone of the Ennstaler Alpen. Near Steyr, it separates Upper Austria from Lower Austria before reaching the Danube. The Enns is the longest river entirely within Austria and the fifth-largest by drainage area at 6,084 square kilometres. Its average water flow at the mouth is 200 cubic metres per second. The river’s name has ancient roots, appearing in Latin as Anisus and linked to Indo-European and Vasconic words meaning ‘water.’ In the 19th century, canals were built along a 70-kilometre stretch to support agriculture and forestry. Today, fifteen hydroelectric power stations along the Enns generate 345 megawatts of electricity. Visitors to the Enns can follow the 263-kilometre Enns Radweg cycle path, which runs from Flachauwinkl to where the river meets the Danube. The river valley serves as a major transit route between Germany and Slovenia. Along its banks stand historic towns like Steyr and Enns, where iron ore was once transported via the Eisenstraße. The Gesäuse gorge offers dramatic scenery where the river carves through limestone. The Enns also passes near landmarks such as the Dachstein group and the Styrian Erzberg.