Ice cave in Obertraun – the discovery

Mysterious world in the ice

It was July 17, 1910: a memorable day for Obertraun and the Dachstein Caves, on which it was possible for the first time to overcome the ice abyss, the key point to the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave. This was the discovery of the largest ice cave in Europe at the time. The front pages of daily newspapers were filled with reports on further research and the hitherto little-known town of Obertraun was brought into the focus of journalistic interest. However, the importance of the caves around Obertraun goes back much further: A pierced cave bear bone found in the Giant Ice Cave is a small indication that people passed through here during the Stone Age and occasionally sought shelter in the caves. It is also known from more recent times that the Koppenbrüller Cave served as a hiding place. The deserter Franz Engl stayed here in 1776, according to tradition. His girlfriend, Hofer Sef from Obertraun, provided him with the most necessary food, which she saved from her mouth. She fell ill. Seriously ill, she dragged herself to her Franz in the cave, where she died.

The first tourists arrive

Almost 50 years later, around 1820, the Koppenbrüller Cave is mentioned in Steiner's travel guide as a "famous show cave". However, we must not believe that it was a show cave developed with paths at that time. Rather, it can be assumed that local miners led many a wealthy tourist into the cave. The first scientific exploration of the Koppenbrüller Cave was carried out in 1869 by the famous Dachstein researcher Friedrich Simony. Simony took pictures of the cave entrance as early as 1875. He also dealt with the foreign minerals in the cave, the eye stones, which at the time were the reason to rethink the theory of the formation of the Alps. Until the turn of the century, the caves were certainly only visited by a few people. The caves and their surroundings were avoided out of superstitious shyness.

It was probably around 1897 when Peter Gamsjäger from Obertraun told us that he had discovered an ice cave while looking for his goats on the Schönbergalm. The painter Alexander von Mörk, who was in Obertraun at the time, heard this. He then made several attempts to drive through it, but each of them failed due to the ice abyss. In 1909, the caves in Obertraun's surroundings suddenly came alive again. The experienced Linz speleologists Georg Lahner, Josef Kling and Julius Pollak "rediscovered" the Koppenbrüller Cave. The interest in speleology awoke and soon it became clear that Obertraun was a true cave Eldorado.

So it is no wonder that the ice cave on the Schönbergalm was soon remembered again. Several attempts to descend into the "eerie ice abyss" initially failed. It was not until July 17, 1910 that the experienced Georg Lahner succeeded in mastering the abyss and thus the key point. The euphoria during further exploration was enormous and can best be summed up in Georg Lahner's own words: "One then walked through enormous spaces with overwhelming masses of ice, which now rose up as bold giant figures, now filled the flight of corridors and halls in mighty glacial waves. One was fascinated by the impression of having discovered the largest ice cave in Europe (the world)..."

In the same year, a congress of speleologists was convened in Hallstatt. As part of this event, several caves were explored in addition to the ice cave, e.g. the Mörkhöhle, the Petrefaktenhöhle and the Holzknechtloch. The most sensational discovery, however, was made when skiing the legendary "wind holes" on the Angeralm. A group, among them several Obertraun residents, penetrated into a giant labyrinth, which they later named the "Mammoth Cave".

So far, there had been the best camaraderie among the speleologists from Linz, Vienna, Graz and Obertraun. Now, however, the caves were being exploited economically - money came into play - and this began a dispute that divided the former comrades forever. Both the Association for Speleology in Austria and the Friends of Nature Linz wanted to lease and expand the cave. There was also a split off of a Linz section, which also tried to act as a tenant. Despite the disputes, the achievements were enormous, especially in the following years: an accommodation hut was built on the Schönbergalm, and a path was built in the ice cave. In 1913, the official guided tour was started, which ended with the outbreak of the 1st World War.

After the 1st World War

As soon as the war was over, work was resumed with great activity. But the old disputes were also revived, because it seemed impossible to protect the interests of the state of Upper Austria. (Point of view: the Upper Austrians decide on the Upper Austrian natural wonders!), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Association for Speleology in Austria and private interests. First, a "Hades AG" was founded, which set itself high goals: There was talk of the construction of a high-altitude sanatorium, and a cable car to the Schönbergalm, which was not realized until 35 years later, was already planned at that time. It is thanks to the plan to mine the cave clay for phosphate extraction and the construction of a path through the Mammoth Cave by the military that a guided tour operation was also possible in the Mammoth Cave from 1925 onwards.

Hades AG was followed in 1924 by Subterra Ges.m.b.H, in which the municipality of Obertraun, which already existed at the time, was also a shareholder. In 1925, in agreement with the company, the Goisern Forestry Administration of the Austrian Federal Forests took over the local administration of the show cave operation.

In 1926, the Koppenbrüller Cave was reopened and opened to the general public. The Subterra also set about installing the long-planned electric lighting in the ice cave. A huge project, because at that time not even Obertraun had electric light. The lighting was completed in 1928. However, the company was now so indebted that it sold the majority of the shares to Österr. Federal Forests. After the economic decline in the 30s and the turmoil of the 2nd World War, the Dachstein Caves were taken over by the Dachstein Cave Administration Goisern of the Austrian. Federal Forests reopened for visitors in 1946. With great effort and effort, under the direction of the certified cave guide and tenant of the Schönberghütte, Roman Pilz, all damage that occurred during the years of the shutdown was repaired.

The development continues...

In 1951, a new agreement was established between the Austrian. Federal Forests and the Province of Upper Austria have agreed on a statute for the operation of the Dachstein Caves, which grants the Province of Upper Austria the influence on the undertaking which it has as a result of the location of the caves on Upper Austrian territory. In the last 44 years, the show cave operation in the Dachstein Caves has changed considerably. Visitor numbers have risen from about 20,000 to 200,000 per year. The cable car of the Dachstein-Fremdenverkehrs-AG to the Schönbergalm (giant ice and mammoth cave), which was put into operation in October 1951, certainly contributed to this, but above all a well-run guided tour with well-trained cave guides on comfortable, safe paths.

In the autumn of 1984, the Dachstein Cave Administration of the Österr. Federal Forests, the Dachstein Museum, built in the style of a woodcutter's hut, was opened. It offers insights into the development of the karst and caves as well as speleology. The three show caves in the Dachstein area, the Giant Ice Cave, the Mammoth Cave and the Koppenbrüller Cave, are a unique natural wonder and experience in Austria. They are therefore also of paramount importance for tourism and one of the decisive economic factors in the upper Salzkammergut and in the municipality of Obertraun.

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17 July 1910: A memorable day for Obertraun and the Dachstein Caves, on which it was possible for the first time to overcome the ice abyss, the key point to the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave.