Gold Panning
Gold panning – The sunrays trapped in stone
Go back in time, until the period of gold mining and learn about the tools used for the panning of gold. In Rauris valley you can find such places, where with a little bit of luck you can find some gold!
Long time ago humans studied the waters and noticed that when the water levels dropped, the sand that remained behind contained gold. In these spots gold was panned. Even you can take part in the experience of gold panning, in one of the biggest gold spots of the Alphs. During the gold fever, 10% of the worlds gold supply came from Rauris.
1. Bodenhaus:
A big playground is the guarantee, that the small ones as well as the adults will have an enjoyable experience at the gold panning spots. For larger groups of people, the possibility to call ahead exists, in this case an expert will demonstrate how to practice this activity.
(Telephone number: 06544-6334)
2. Sportalm:
If it’s raining outside, but you wouldn’t want to miss out on the experience of gold panning, then your place is in Sportalm, under the covered area. The newly formed area is under the personal supervision of Manfred Maier double gold mining master. Great selection of fine gold-related souvenirs!
Program offers
Berchtesgadent
This small town in southern Bavaria is about 15 kilometers from Salzburg. It became known throughout the world during the Second World War, when Adolf Hitler chose the Obersalzberg mountain in the vicinity of Berchtesgaden as the second seat of government beside Berlin in the years 1933-1945. The city is in a wonderful area, surrounded by tall mountains. The Eagle’s Nest – Today it functions as a restaurant and we can enjoy the view that Hitler once enjoyed. Above the city, on the mountain beside the Kehlsteinhaus, the houses of the Third Reich rulers, the SS officers and also the houses of other members that were connected by a bunker network can be found. The remaining houses today function as restaurants or accommodations.
The Eagle’s Nest was made as a gift for Hitler’s 50th birthday by Martin Bormann. The building is at a height of 1,834 m and was built in 12 months. The 6.5 km long serpentine road, which rises up to 700 m, with 5 tunnels, was completed in 13 months. The building survived the Second World War. It survived allied bombing and its demolition after the end of the war.
The house itself is in a wonderful area in the southern part of Germany, in the Bavarian Alps, Upper Bavaria, very close to the Austrian border, at 1.834 m above sea level, near Obersalzberg. Not far from this, to the west the mountain Watzmann, the second highest mountain peak in Germany can be found. In the south-west you can see Königssee, and if the sky is clear you can see up to Salzburg. The view in the southern part is made difficult by the Bavarian Alps. Although the house is not even on the top of the mountain, but a little lower, the mountain peak can be easily accessed on foot.
From Berchtesgaden we can reach the documentation center by car or bus, from there only by scheduled buses you can go to the last parking lot, enter a 124 m long tunnel and at the end of it you will find the elevator that takes you up to the building, under 41 seconds. The building can be visited from May to October.
Caves
1. Koppenbrüllerhöhle
Province: Upper – Austria (Oberösterreich)
Location: Obertraun
Approach: In the boarder of Obertraun, by a 20 minute walk from the parking lot of Gasthaus Koppenrast.
Period of visit: From May until September
Visit: During the summer break, every day with a call ahead of arrival. At least 8 years old.
Koppenbrüllerhöhle is actually a giant spring. The strong stream at the cave entrance created a huge reservoir. This natural phenomenon is caused by snow melting and heavy rainfall. The narrow spots of the Koppenbrüllerhöhle, and sloping crevices, are awaiting the children and the adults to discover them. Dressed in a protective suit, we can get accustomed with the cave during the 2 hours of visiting.
2. Lamprechtshöhle
Provincie: Salzburg
Neighbouring town: Sankt Martin
Approach: It can be found between Sankt Martin and Weißbach, in the close vicinity of the highway, which takes us from Lofer to Saalfelden.
Period of visit: Open all year long
With its 51 km extension, Lamprechtshöhle is one of Austria’s largest and most interesting caves. And one of Europe’s largest cave systems. It was opened in 1905 for visitors. The 700-meter cave section is conveniently accessible via the uphill passage. After the uphill climb, we reach a 70 m high well-lit cave room.
The name of the cave was given from a knight named Lamprecht, who held high above Saalachtal, from the then defensive Saaleck castle, whose ruins are still visible today. According to rumors, he earned valuable treasures during a crusade which his daughters inherited after his death. The treasures were hidden in the inaccessible cave at that time. In the past centuries adventurous treasure seekers sought out the cave in the hope of finding the miraculous treasure. Their search proved to be unsuccessful and only at the end of the XVIII century, scientific research began. Regular excavation work was started by the Passau department of the German alpinist association in 1899.
3. Dachstei Mammuthöhle (Mammoth cave)
Province: Salzburg
Location: Dachstein
Neighbouring town: Obertraun
Approach: The cave entrance can be reached from Schönberghaus by a quarter-hour short walk.
Period of visit: 5 May – 21 October
The last start of the visit from Dachstein:
May 5 – June 1 15:45 hr
June 2 – September 9 16:30 hr
September 10 – October 21 15:45 hr
Visit: The one and a half hour visits keep going on, even in other languages. The cave museum can be visited free during the ice cave opening hours.
The cave is 37 km long and the highest altitude difference within the cave is 1180 m. During the one hour visit, we have to go up and down quite a lot of stairs, but the rock corridors and the dizzying depths, make up for the fatigue.
Ice caves
1. Eiskogelhöhle
Province: Salzburg
Location: Werfenweng (Tennegebirge)
The cave was discovered in 1847. Its entrance is 2100 m above sea level, the temperature is 6-8 ° C. The visit time is 10-12 hours, from which the cave visit is 3-5 hours. The visit tours are formed by min. 5 max. 10 people.
Period of visit: Only from May to October, once a week, over the age of 14.
2. Eisriesenwelt (Werfen Ice Cave)
Province: Salzburg
Location: Werfen
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Approach: 5 km mountain road from Werfense, from 1084 m to 1586 m with the cable car, 15 minutes on foot.
The largest ice cave in the world can be found at a height of 1641 m in the Tannen mountain range. It’s more than 47 km long and there are still corridors and halls that haven’t been yet explored. By visiting the unique cave system, we can take part in a rich experience. The visitor can make a 2 km long, well arranged tour with professional guidance, in the most spectacular sections of the cave system. In the course of our walk we have to make a height difference of 134 m. In the cave rooms we can discover the biggest ice forms on earth. The temperature of the cave is about 0 degrees Celsius. Warm clothing and boots are recommended. The cave visit lasts around 75 minutes. The illumination is done only with carbide lamp and magnesium light.
3. Rieseneishöhle (The Giant Ice Cave)
Province: Salzburg
Location: Dachstein
Neighbour town: Obertraun
Approach: The cave entrance can be reached from Schönberghaus by a quarter-hour short walk.
Period of visit: Between May 5 and October 21
Visit: The one and a half hour visits keep going on, even in other languages. The cave museum can be visited free during the ice cave opening hours.
The last start of the visit from Dachstein::
May 5 – June 1 15:45 hr
June 2 – September 9 16:30 hr
September 10 – October 21 15:45 hr
The ice palace, in Dachstein, is one of the greatest natural wonders of the Alps. People from all over the globe come to see the underground ice in Dachstein. The cave was covered by ice only in the XV century, today the ice occupies 5000 square meters of the cave with 13000 m3 of ice (in some places 25 m thick). The giant cave glaciers, icebergs, ice poles and frozen waterfalls are a delightful contrast to the outside world on hot summer days. During summer the internal temperature is -1 ° C. On cool, rainy days, the caves are a safe haven for humans and animals, just like a thousand years ago. Caves are the ancient evidence of earth’s transformation. The secrets of the history of geology could be deciphered here by scientists, says the cave guide.
Parks, natural attractions
1. Villacher Alpengarten
Province: Karintia
Location: Villach
Neighbour town: Klagenfurt
Period of visit:
June: 9 – 18
July: 9 – 18
August: 9 – 18
At the 6th parking lot of Villacher Alpenstrasse, at a height of 1403 m, you can see the magnificent world of the alpine vegetation. This panoramic road leads into the Villacher Alps world. The road is 16.5 km long, the maximum incline is 10%, and the 11 parking lots provide recreation. The road ends at the height of 1732 m, hardened hikers can go by foot, while the less hardened can go with the cable car up to the height of 1957 m, from where after a hike of one and a half hour you reach the Gipfel peak at the height of 2167 m. Near the summit a transmission tower can be found, not far away from it, a shelter that offers a great place for those who want to relax, but from there only a few meters are left to the summit where we find a beautiful little chapel. Walking on the trails, you can learn about the alpine plants.
2. Wildlife Park Fusch-Ferleiten Grossglocknerstrasse
Province: Salburgerland
Location: Fusch-Ferleiten
Neighbour town: Kaprun (15-20 km), Zell am See (20 km)
It can be found at the foot of the Grossglockner mountain. The park features the Alps fauna on an area of 15 hectares. Within the park there are over 200 types of endemic animals that visitors can admire. The Theme Park offers free entertainment for the young, free of charge, and covers an area of 20.000 m2.
Ferleiten is at the entrance of Käfertal, many hikings can start from here.
Period of visit:
From the start of March until October
Every morning from 8 until sunset
Entrance fee: (We reserve the rights to make changes!)
Adults: – 6,00
Children between 4-14 years old: – 3,50
Groups (from 20 persons/person): – 4,80
Waterfall
1. Krimmler Wasserfälle
Province: Salzburg
Location: Krimml
Neighbour town: Innsbruck
Height: 380 m
Distance from Rauris: 75 km
Krimml’s huge parking lot awaits visitors at the east entrance of the Gerlospass mountain road. The Krimml waterfall, with its height of 380 m, is the tallest waterfall in Europe, and the fifth waterfall in the world. Each year, it attracts over 350,000 visitors, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. Because it is situated at an altitude of 1.687 meters, in the winter, the sprayed water covers the rocks and plants with a thick layer of ice. It is made up of three segments.
In the lower segment of the waterfall, the waters of 17 glaciers meet, also in the mid 100 m high segment and the 145 m high segment. The view of the waterfall is an exciting one and offers a unique experience.
There are many observation areas where you can admire the nearby waterfall. Upon landing, the streams of water are scattered in small drops, and the light turns into the color of the rainbow. The water doesn’t even spare visitors. Along the way, benches are at the disposal of tired tourists.
2. Plötz waterfall
Province: Salzburg
Location: Ebenau
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Height: 50 m
Passing through the Ebenaui Mühlen hiking trail, from the Unterberg fire station you can see the Waschl-Mülle. After the fire station, you have to turn right at the kindergarten and cross the junction straight up to a dirt road, next to the wooden mill. In the small forest road near the mill, we can observe ferrets towards Watzmann. Here we continue our journey on the ridge. The Koppl hiking trail is on the southern side of the mountain and then turn left at Rottenbach Bridge. Soon we will see the five mills of Roachi. At the third, at the Pertiller Mill, head off the main road, admire the local canyon, play and refresh in a great bath. Then we cross the stream along the mill, heading for Ebenau.
3. Krispl waterfall
Province: Salzburg
Location: Krispl
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Height: 20 m
Distance from Rauris: 82 km
4. Gollinger waterfall
Province: Salzburg
Location: Golling
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Height: 65 m
The waters of Golling creek fall in the valley from a height of 75 meters, thus giving an impressive sight. Many painters have been inspired by this waterfall, so the waterfall can be found in many paintings. It is one of the most romantic and preferred tourist locations in the area.
The city of Golling is also home to a museum-fortress, which presents the history of the area, and awaits you with exhibits that change from year to year.
Salt mines
1. Altaussee Salzbergwerk
Period of visit:
May 1 – June 30 9:00 – 15:45
August 1 – September 21 10:00 – 16:45
116 km – approximately 1 hour 51 minutes
Salzkammergut mines (Salzbergwerke) webpage: www.salzbergwerke.com
The mining trolley starts tinkering with us inside the mountain, then we get deeper into a wooden slide to get to know a magical world and mystical snout.
2. Hallein – Bad Dürrnberge Salzbergwerk
Province: Salzburg
Location: Hallein
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Period of visit: Open all year long
January – March 11:00 – 15:00
April – October 9:00 – 17:00
November – December 11:00 – 15:00
Distance from Rauris: 72,2 km – approximately 59 minutes
It is one of the oldest salt mining centers in the Alps. We can make a mysterious trip underground with the help of wagons through tunnels. In a restored Celtic village, we can get to know how they used to live. We can visit the world’s first salt gallery.
Period of visit:
May 1 -June 30 9:00 – 15:45
August 1 – September 21: 10:00 – 16:45
101 km – approximately 1 hour 34 minutes
With the Hallstatt mining tracks (funicular) you can approach the 900 m entrance. In a pre-history trip, you can explore the world’s treasure trove of the Alps where more than 3000 years ago people lived. We get to the depths on a glossy slide, where we learn about the history of salt mining. At the end of our trip, we return to the outside with the help of mine carts.
Fortresses
1. Burg Mauterndorf
Province: Salzburg
Location: Mauterndorf im Lungau
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Distance from Rauris: 97 km
Burg Mauterndorf Verwaltung
A-5570 Mauterndorf i. Lg.
Tel: ++43/6472/7426
One of Austria’s most beautiful fortresses. Impressive angular structure with pointed towers. Among its walls there are events, a medieval restaurant, and historic exhibitions. Entries Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The entry fee is EUR 8 per person.
2. Hohenwerfen fortress
Province: Salzburg
Location: Werfen
Neighbour town: Salzburg
Distance from Rauris: 50 km
The fortress was built in the 11th century, and today it watches over the region. Historic exhibitions, birds of prey and knightly programs await you in the city. In the nights of the summer months special events take place, which give life to the fortress. Despite the extra charge, you can use the cable car to reach the fortress. Also here is the place Where Eagles Dare was filmed, played by Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton.
