Who Knew Hell Is…Frozen?

View from the entrance – Photo courtesy of Matt Hutchinson

Caves are beautiful eco-systems that are rarely acknowledged as such. They take millions of years to develop and are home to thousands of creatures, many of which we have yet to discover. Caves come in many forms and places from dry caves to underground caves or even underwater caves, but this cave system is different from most, an ice cave. And not just any ice caves, the largest ice caves on the planet!

While the cave was known by locals, it had never been explored as they thought it was an entrance to hell. It wasn’t until 1879 that the Eisriesenwelt Werfen ice caves were ‘officially’ discovered by natural scientist, Anton Posselt, who pushed 200 meters into the darkness. He published his findings but the article was soon forgotten and it wasn’t until after 1912 that interest in the cave was renewed by Alexander Von Mörk. When Von Mörk died in World War II his ashes were placed inside the caves in an area now called the Alexander Von Mörk Cathedral, one of the many focuses of the tour.

Now the caves attract thousands of people every year. From May through October these caves are open for tours as access can only be achieved with a guide. Bring your warm shoes, boots and mittens, as despite the warm temperatures above ground inside the caves is usually below freezing! You’ll appreciate your mittens once you’ve completed the 134 meter descent to the Eisriesenwelt.

Photo courtesy of Johan Lindgren