4. Ice Caves

Until the end of the nineteenth century the caves were only known to hunters and poachers. it was not until 1879 that Anton Posselt, a nature scientist from Salzburg, pushed 200m into the darkness of the caves and officially „discovered“ the Eisriesenwelt. One year later he published a detailed report of his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but the caves then slipped back into obscurity.

Alexander von Mörk, a pioneer of cave exploration in the Salzburg area, recognised the significance of Posselt’s report. His expeditions were followed by various other discoverers in the 1920s and the increasing popularity of this wonder of nature soon attracted the first tourists. In 1920 the old cabin - Forscherhütte (discoverer’s refuge) - was built and the first primitive climbing routes established up to the cave and onwards into the interior.

The Eisriesenwelt is actually owned by the National Austrian Forestry Commission. The Salzburg Association of Cave Exploration took out a lease and in 1928 this was formalised into a contract with the newly formed Eisriesenwelt company.