Gastein, a valley in the Austrian duchy of Salzburg, famous for its romantic scenery and for its mineral springs. It is about 30 m. long and 2 m. broad, is surrounded by mountains in some parts about 8,000 ft. high, and is traversed by the Ache, which forms several cascades. There are three villages. Hof-gastein, 40 m. S. of Salzburg, has a resident population of about 1,000. It contains a church, poorhouse, military hospital, and a statue of the emperor Francis I. of Austria. Gold and silver mines were formerly worked here. Dorfgastein, 6 m. to the north, is a mere hamlet. Wildbad Gastein, or Bad Gas-tein, about equally distant to the south, is one of the most celebrated watering places in Europe. It is about 3,000 ft. above the sea. In the centre of the village the Ache forms a cataract, which is spanned by a covered bridge 400 ft. long. There are about 35 houses, among which is a villa built by the late archduke John of Austria. The climate is cold and wet even in summer. In 1830 an aqueduct was constructed under the auspices of the emperor Francis to convey the mineral waters to Hofgastein, but Wildbad still continues to be the principal watering place in the valley. The accommodations for visitors are very limited, but it is annually resorted to by about 3,000 persons.

The hot springs, which have a temperature of 117° F., spring from the granite rocks at the foot of the mountain, one of them bursting out in the middle of the cataract. They furnish about 100,000 cubic feet of water in 24 hours, the principal mineral ingredients of which are Glauber salts and carbonate of lime. The baths are chiefly useful in nervous affections, general debility, paralysis, chronic diseases of the skin, and disorders arising from wounds. These springs have been known since the 7th century, and have long been a favorite resort for the noble and royal families of Germany. - A convention was held here in August, I865, between the emperor Francis Joseph and King William of Prussia, and their respective ministers, in which the affairs of the duchies wrested from Denmark in the preceding year were settled. (See Austria, vol. ii., p. 149.)