The World of ice giants is a 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 a tourist destination, although only the first kilometer is frozen and can be visited via guided tour.
The entrance portal is located at 1640 m above sea level. After the Ice Palace there are no longer any connected ice plates, and the guided tour ends there. A steep tunnel leads from the ice palace to the U-Tunnel. This is followed by the MidgardThis passage is the largest in the cave (width between 8 and 30 meters). From there branches off in all directions. The end of the cave is the New world at 1595 m.
The ice grows due to the chimney effect in the cave, which transports cold air masses up to about 1 km into the cave in winter. The rock stores the cold until spring, and when it gets warmer outside and the snow starts to melt, water can seep into the cave through cracks and fissures in the rock and freeze into ice.
In summer, the cave interior also warms up; 5-10 cm of the ice cover melts away. But in the following spring, everything grows back. Overall, the ice does not decrease - in fact, it increases slightly.
Those who wish to visit should note that the climb to the lower cable car station and from the cable car mountain station to the cave entrance, or the 1400 steps (700 up and 700 down) of the cave tour, requires a certain level of fitness. The tour lasts around 75 minutes. Filming and photography are prohibited inside the cave, which is justified by fears of delays and their impact on the timing of the tours.[2]
Today, the Eisriesenwelt is usually open to visitors between May 1 and October 26. In the winter months, the cave entrance is inaccessible due to the high alpine location and the risk of avalanches. The temperature in the cave usually remains below freezing even in summer.