Eisriesenwelt cave is one of the largest ice caves in the world and is a fascinating place with its natural formations. Eisriesenwelt, known as “World of Ice Giants” in German, is a limestone and ice cave located in Werfen, Austria. It is located about 40 km south of the city of Salzburg. The cave is inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps. It is considered one of the largest ice caves in the world and has a length of more than 42 km. It is visited by about 200 thousand tourists every year.
Formation of the Eisriesenwelt Cave
The Tennengebirge mountains were formed during the Late Tertiary period and the Würm glaciation period of the Pleistocene. The mountain range in the Austrian Alps is one of the largest karst plateaus in the Salzburger Alps, and the Eisriesenwelt is located on the edge of this plateau. Although the cave is more than 42 kilometers long, only the first kilometers of the area that tourists are allowed to enter is covered with ice. The rest of the cave consists of limestone rocks.
The Eisriesenwelt was formed by the Salzach River, which erodes the gorges leading to the mountain. The ice formations in the cave are formed by the melting of the snow that flows into the cave and freezes in winter. Since the entrance of the cave is open throughout the year, cold winter winds blow into the cave and freeze the snow inside. In summer, a cold wind blows from inside the cave towards the entrance, preventing the formations from melting.
History of Eisriesenwelt Cave
The discovery of the Eisriesenwelt cave was first made in 1879 by Anton Posselt, a naturalist from Salzburg. Posselt discovered only the first two hundred meters of the cave. At that time, locals believed the cave was the entrance to hell and rejected exploration. In 1880, Posselt published his findings in a mountaineering journal, but the report was quickly forgotten.
In 1912, speleologist Alexander von Mörk was one of the few to remember Posselt’s discovery. Beginning in 1912, he made several expeditions to the caves, and other explorers soon followed. Von Mörk was killed in World War I in 1914, and in a niche in the cave is a vase with his ashes. In 1920, Forscherhütte, a hut for explorers, was built and the first roads up the mountain were created. Impressed by the sudden popularity of the cave, tourists soon began to arrive. Then another cabin, Dr. Oedl House and roads from Werfen and Tenneck were built.
In 1955, a cable car was built, reducing the 90-minute climb to just 3 minutes. Today the Eisriesenwelt cave is owned by the National Austrian Forestry Commission, which has leased it to the Salzburg Cave Research Society since 1928. The Forestry Commission still charges a percentage of the entrance fees.
Visiting the Eisriesenwelt Cave
The Eisriesenwelt cave is a tourist attraction open from 1 May to 26 October each year. Working hours are between 09.00-16.30 in July and August, and between 09.00-15.30 in May/June and September/October. The cave’s interior temperatures are often below freezing, so warm clothing is recommended. Visitors are not allowed to take photos after entering the cave.
The tours start at the entrance of the cave and continue until they reach a large room called the Hall of Posselt. Here is an area discovered by Anton Posselt with a stalagmite in the middle called the Posselt Tower. After passing the Tower of Posselt, on the wall of the cave is an ash cross that marks Anton Posselt’s extreme point. From there, you can look out for the Great Ice Bar, a 25-metre-high formation that represents the largest ice formation, the Great Barrier. Hymir Castle, named after a giant in Norse mythology, is the next stop here. At this point, there is a formation of stalactites called the Veil of Frigga or the Ice Organ.
The final stop of the tour is the Alexander von Mörk Cathedral, one of the largest chambers in the cave and the final resting place of von Mörk’s ashes. At the end of the tour, the Ice Palace is located within one kilometer of the cave and 400 meters below the ground. Visitors must turn around and walk back through the caves to reach the entrance. The round trip inside the cave takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
