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Franz and the “gorge virus”

When the gorge calls...

“Do you have to go to Gilfenklamm again...”, hears Franz his wife say when he leaves the house at 5 in the morning.

He has been there thousands of times, usually at half past five, especially after rain. Quickly, before the first visitors, Franz walks along the stream of Ratschings valley, climbs up the hairpin bends, through mossy rock faces and dense forest, the sky above him, foaming pools below him, thundering waterfalls in front of him. The natural monument between Stange and Jaufensteg is one of the most spectacular accessible gorges in the Alps. And Franz keeps it in good shape. He knows the way blind, but never knows what to expect. That's why every day counts for him. After all, more than 70,000 visitors want to experience the gorge every year.
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Franz, a trained carpenter with his own workshop, has known the gorge for 30 years. “Ever since then,” he says, ”I've had the gorge virus.”
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Guardian of the gorge: Franz's tireless efforts for the Gilfenklamm gorge
Picking up trash, cutting grass, paving paths-there is always work to be done. He throws stones into the gorge; the larger ones he leaves to the geologist. For five years, the gorge has been monitored with pinpoint accuracy by glass mirrors in the rocks. Franz has built 41 bridges and 12 crossings with helpers, often with Joe. “I can count on him.” They once dismantled five broken bridges at once and installed new ones. In 2021, when snow covered half the forest, they crawled through the gorge, felling tree after tree and building new bridges. In two and a half months, the gorge was passable again.
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Between rocks and grace: Franz's gratitude for the power of nature

Near the “church”, where the water cascades over shimmering green marble walls, Franz and Joe erected a wayside cross - in thanks that everything went well.

 

„You can maintain a path, but you are powerless against the forces of nature."

Every time he walks through the gorge, Franz thinks about what a beautiful world he lives in and how long he can still do this job. Franz is 56 and runs the rental company “Rent and Go Schölzhorn” with his wife Petra, a former biathlete.

Photos: Tourist Office Ratschings
Text: Renate Rreitenberger