EISRIIESENWELT: Largest ice cave in the world

Another of the true miracles on earth, the Eisriesenwelt (Eisriesenwelt: "Ice of the Giants") ice cave system is a world of marvelous underground natural ice sculptures and formations. Eisriesenwelt is actually a maze of natural lonely limestone caves, located in the Hochkogel mountain in the Alps, about 40 km south of Salzburg, Austria.

This vast underground world is 40 km long. Though tourists are allowed to visit only the first kilometer of the cave, it is quite enough to gain a sense of what could be the rest of the trip. Eisriesenwelt is open to tourists every year from 1st May, until October 26th.

Eisriesenwelt is a dynamic cave, meaning that the openings of the lower and upper chambers are connected to the corridors, which are again connected to cracks at the top. This system allows caves to 'breathe' or air to circulate through it. During spring, the water penetrates through the cracks in the rock, and when cold winter comes again, the water freezes and turns into the beautiful ice formations that appear within the cave.

The first official discovery of Eisriesenwelle is attributed to Anton Posselt, a naturalist from Salzburg, who in 1879 investigated the first two hundred meters of the cave. Prior to its discovery, the cave was known only to local locals who believed it was the entrance to hell - which is why they refused to approach her.

The Eisriesenwelt cave is visited by around 200,000 tourists every year, and we invite you to visit (virtually) the other incredible caves that we have so far written about.

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