Page 215 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

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The Salzkammergut
For centuries, the name Salzkammergut applied only to the area
around the Hallstätter See and Traunsee lakes, and to the towns of
Bad Ischl, Hallstatt and Gmunden. Salt has been excavated here since
prehistoric times, ensuring the long-term wealth and development
of the entire region. Salt mines exist in the area to this day. In the
second half of the 19th century the area became famous for its
therapeutic springs, and with time the term Salzkammergut came to
refer to the entire land of lakes and mountains that is now Austria’s
most popular tourist destination. It includes the eastern part of the
Salzburg Alps, with the picturesque mountain ranges of Dachstein
(eastern part), Totes Gebirge (Dead Mountains) and Höllengebirge
A mountain stream racing through a gorge (Mountains of Hell). Between the mountains lie 76 lakes, the largest
in the Dachstein range and most famous of which are Traunsee, Mondsee, Attersee,
j Dachsteinhöhlen Hallstätter See and Wolfgangsee. For historical reasons, the “land of
salt” straddles three Austrian provinces. The largest part is in Upper
Road map D4. n Winkl 34, Obertraun Austria, a small area in the south belongs to Styria, whilst almost all of
am Hallstättersee (06131) 351. Wolfgangsee and the St Gilgen resort are part of the Salzburger Land.
∑ dachstein-salzkammergut.com
The caves in the slopes of the
Dachstein range are among
Austria’s most beautiful and
fascinating natural monuments.
The vast caves, one of the largest
systems on Earth and millions of
years old, are covered by 500-
year-old permafrost. After the
last Ice Age, under ground waters
created strange ice mountains,
glaciers and frozen waterfalls.
The most interesting of these is The much-loved Salzkammergut, land of lakes and mountains
the Rieseneishöhle (Giant Ice
Cave). The caverns in this surreal
underground ice-world are A little further along, also their size rather than after the
named after King Arthur and in a limestone wall of Dachstein, prehistoric mammal. These caves
the Celtic heroes, Parsifal and is the entrance to a second do not have ice formations, but
Tristan. The most arresting system of caves, known as there is a spectacular light show.
cavern formation is the so-called Mammuthöhle (Mammoth Both networks of caves can
Ice Chapel. Caves), so named because of be reached via paths starting
from the first cable-car station.
The sightseeing route leads
through a labyrinthine network
of tunnels, gorges and chambers
that stretch over 44 km (27 miles),
with a 1,200 m (4,000 ft) change
in altitude. Individual caverns
have been given evocative
names such as the Realm of
Shadows or Midnight Cathedral.
Also worth seeing is a third
cave, Koppenbrüller höhle,
which has a giant water source
and is considered to be the
largest water cave in the
Dachstein massif.
All caves are open to the
public only during the spring
and summer seasons (May to
Oct; Koppenbrüllerhöhle May
to Sep). When visiting the caves,
especially the ice caves, make
sure you take plenty of
Dachstein ice caves in Obertraun warm clothing.

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