Description of the attraction
Eisriesenwelt is a limestone ice cave located near Werfen, about 40 km from Salzburg. The cave is located in the Tennengebirge mountain, it is the largest ice cave in the world. Its length is more than 42 km, annually the cave is visited by about 200 thousand tourists.
The first official discovery of Eisriesenwelt was made by the naturalist from Salzburg Posselt Anton in 1879. He studied only the first 200 meters of the cave, before him the locals knew about the cave, who believed that it was the entrance to hell. In 1880, Posselt published his findings in a mountaineering journal, but the report was quickly forgotten.
Alexander von Merck, a speleologist from Salzburg, was one of the few people who remembered Posselt's discovery. He made several expeditions to the cave, starting in 1912. Von Merck was killed in World War I in 1914, and an urn with his ashes is kept in a cave. In 1920, the cabins for the explorers were built and the first routes were created. Tourists began to arrive, attracted by the cave's sudden popularity.
In 1955, a cable car was built, which reduced the 90-minute climb to 3 minutes.
The cave is open to the public during the summer from May 1st to October 26th each year. The tour lasts a little over an hour; tourists are advised to have warm clothes and comfortable shoes with them. Lanterns are given out at the entrance.
