Malta

The Malta is a river in Carinthia that flows for more than 38 kilometres through the Maltatal, a valley named after it. The valley is famous for its many waterfalls, earning it the nickname ‘the valley of plunging waters’ in tourism. At the end of the valley stands the Kölnbrein dam, a major attraction for visitors. Most of the valley belongs to the municipality of Malta. The river begins high in the Hohe Tauern east of the Ankogel range. Its original source was the meeting of the Großelend and Kleinelend streams, now submerged beneath the reservoir behind the Kölnbrein dam. Today the lower reservoir of the Maltakraftwerke, Galgenbichl, marks the recognised start of the Malta. Many tributaries feed the river, some creating striking waterfalls along their courses. The Malta joins the Lieser as a north-western tributary near Gmünd, carrying an average flow of about 3.5 cubic metres per second. The name first appears in records from 993 or 994 as ‘Malontina’, a Celtoroman term meaning ‘stony place’ or ‘mountain region’. The valley’s steep walls and rushing waters offer walkers dramatic views of cascades and forested slopes.