Hohenwerfen Castle - Ice cave Eisriesenwelt - Golling Falls

Route: Salzburg - Hohenwerfen Castle - Ice cave Eisriesenwelt - Golling Falls - Salzburg
Duration: 6 h
Our first stop in this tour will be at the 900-year-old Hohenwerfen Fortress squats 155 m up on a rocky hilltop, surrounded by swathes of pine trees and the harsh peaks of the Tennengebirge Mountains. From its lofty position the castle dominates the village of Werfen in the Salzach Valley region of the Austrian Alps. Hohenwerfen Fortress has its beginnings in the 11th century; it was built in tandem with the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg as a refuge for the ruling prince-bishops. Parts of the fortified medieval walls can still be seen but the castle’s history has been turbulent and it was razed to the ground during the Peasants’ Rebellion of 1525. Much of what you see today is the result of subsequent 16th-century restyling in Baroque style, when the castle was extended and heavily fortified to protect the prince-bishops from further attack. It was also used to house military prisoners before falling into disuse in the late 18th century. You will explore the landscaped gardens and battlements,  the kitchens and Romanesque chapel, around the prince-bishops’ apartments, and up the bell tower for far-reaching Alpine views. There are also small museums detailing the history of the castle and displaying weapons used in its protection as well as Austria’s only falconry museum – the summer months see daily flight demonstrations with birds of prey. Our next stop will be at the Ice cave Eisriesenwelt which is a cave labyrinth with a total length of more than 40 kilometers. It was created over a very long time period. The first cracks and fissures in the limestone caves began to form during tectonic elevations about 100 million years ago. Chemical dissolution processes and water erosion across the millennia caused the subterranean cracks to increase, leading to the development of immense hollow spaces where the melting water entering the rock fissures in the spring and dripping into the cooler areas of the cave will freeze, forming the spectacular ice sculptures in the interior of the mountain. After experiencing this breathtaking natural wonder, your journey will lead you to the Golling waterfalls where you will explore the falls, as they plunge 75 meters down. The thunderous Golling falls are one of the provinces most attractive and romantic natural monuments. After we will return to Salzburg.
Price: Per person