The Eisriesenwelt is a ice cave system in the Tennengebirge in the state of Salzburg.
The Eisriesenwelt was discovered in 1879 and, with a total length of 42 km, is considered the largest ice cave in the world. Today the cave is an excursion destination, whereby only the first kilometer is icy and can be visited with a guide.
The entrance portal is 1640 m above sea level. A. After the Ice Palace there are no longer any connected ice sheets; the guided tour ends there. A steep trestle tunnel leads from the ice palace to the underground tunnel. This is followed by the Midgards. This passage is the largest in the cave (between 8 and 30 meters wide). From there branches branch off in all directions. The end of the cave is the New World at 1595 m.
The ice grows through the chimney effect in the cave, which in winter transports cold air masses up to about 1 km into the cave interior. The rock stores the cold until spring and when it is warmer outside and the snow melts, water can seep through crevices and cracks in the rock into the cave and freeze to ice.
The inside of the cave also warms up in summer; 5–10 cm of the bottom ice cover melt away again. In the following spring everything grows back again. So overall, the ice isn’t getting any less – it’s actually getting a little more.
Those wishing to visit should note that the ascent to the lower cable car station and from the mountain station of the cable car to the cave entrance or with the 1400 steps (700 up and 700 down again) of the cave tour requires a certain level of fitness. The tour lasts around 75 minutes. There is a ban on filming and photography inside the cave, which is justified by feared time delays and their effects on the timing of the tours. [2]
Today the Eisriesenwelt is usually open to visitors between May 1st and October 26th. In the winter months, the cave entrance is not accessible due to the high alpine location and the danger of avalanches. The temperature in the cave usually stays below freezing point even in summer.