The fact that people in Salzburg were able to take a relatively relaxed view of the flood situation in the spring of 2013 – and keep their feet dry as well – was due not least of all to the BLOBEL flood barriers, which provided effective protection in critical areas. Along the Elisabethkai promenade, for example, and in the city’s Josephiau district, passersby and local residents were able to gaze in amazement, with no risk to themselves or their property, at the mass of mud and water flowing past them down the River Salzach.