Kreidelucke

Useful Information

Location:	4573 Hinterstoder. A9 motorway between Linz and Graz, exit 36 St. Pankratz/Hinterstoder, turn left 138, after the bridge over the Steyr turn left towards Hinterstoder. At the village, walk across the Steyer, turn right Flötzersteig 300 m to the end, short ascent to the cave entrance. Katasternummer 1628/2 (47.7100892, 14.1638497)
Open:	15-MAY to SEP after appointment. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 36, Children EUR 28. Per Group EUR 320. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=1.140 m, VR=76, A=580 m asl.
Guided tours:	D=2 h, Max=20, MinAge=10.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	No
Bibliography:	Gottfried Hauenschild (1865): Die Kreidenlucke im kleinen Priel In: Jahrbuch des Österreichischen Alpenvereines. Band 1, 1865, S. 329–331 pdf Erik Arnberger, Hubert Trimmel (): Die wissenschaftliche Erforschung der Kreidelucke bei Hinterstoder im Toten Gebirge. Teil 1 In: Jahrbuch des Oberösterreichischen Musealvereines. Band 95, 1950, S. 307–336 pdf Walter Gressel, Rudolf Hock, Heinrich Salzer, Hubert Trimmel, Josef Vornatscher (1951): Die wissenschaftliche Erforschung der Kreidelucke bei Hinterstoder im Toten Gebirge. Teil 2 In: Jahrbuch des Oberösterreichischen Musealvereines. Band 96, 1951, S. 227–251. pdf Erhard Fritsch (1974): Die Höhlen des Toten Gebirges In: Alpenvereins-Jahrbuch. Band 99, 1974, S. 22–40 pdf
Address:	Kalkalpen National Park, Info point Windischgarsten, Tel: +43-7562-5266-17, info-wdg@kalkalpen.at Pyhrn-Priel Tourismus GmbH, Hinterstoder 38, 4573 Hinterstoder, Tel: +43-7564-5263. hinterstoder@pyhrn-priel.net
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1864	explored and described by Gottfried Hauenschild.
1949	scientific exploration by Hans Hauenschild.
1950	under special protection as an important cave.

Description

The Kreidelucke is an undeveloped cave, which is visited on cave trekking tours. The tours are organized by the Nationalpark Molln (National Park Molln) and guided by certified cave guides. The cave is mostly spacious but there are some parts which require stooping. There are also passages with shallow water, so rubber boots are definitely a must. And there are some small climbs, so surefootedness is also important. Nevertheless, this is a rather simple horizontal cave and requires no vertical gear.

This cave is located rather close to the street along the valley of the Steyr river, downstream from Hinterstoder. There are two car parks on the road, the first at the sewage treatment plant, the second shortly afterwards. However, the cave is on the other side of the Steyer river. 300 m further on at the entrance to Hinterstoder there is a bridge that leads to the Flötzersteig on the other side of the river. Although this is a single-lane gravel road, it is closed to traffic. The cave requires multiple wades through kettle-deep water, and there is an optional climbing section in the Kamin (chimney). We recommend full caving equipment, i.e. rubber boots, underwear, overal, helmet with headlamp and of course spare lamps. If no equipment is available, helmet and headlamp can also be borrowed, old clothes and fleece, as well as suitable shoes are appropriate. A change of clothes, towel and plasic bag for dirty clothes are also recommended. The number of guided tours is limited, and they are not offered in the winter months due to bat protection. You can either register directly at the Kalkalpen National Park information centre in Windischgarsten or at the tourist information office in Hinterstoder. As is usual in Austria, the guides have a state cave guide qualification, which includes training as a mountain guide. The cave tour itself lasts 90 minutes.

The cave was named Kreidelucke because of the huge amount of moonmilk in the cave. This soft speleothem is reduced to white limestone dust when it becomes dry, so it was thought this was chalk. Kreide is the German term for chalk. It was probably mined for some time as a remedy.

The cave has a fairly large entrance and although it was certainly not easy to reach in the past, it has been known to the locals for a long time. Nothing is known about Stone Age utilisation, no finds have been made, but this is hardly possible because the entrance area is flooded when the snow melts and after heavy rainfall from the cave. In other words, any archaeological finds have long since been washed away. As the name suggests, the Flötzersteig was built for hauling or rafting tree trunks on the river, making the cave easily accessible. Nevertheless, it was avoided by the locals, which is also due to the legends about the cave and the devil. It was not until the 19th century that cave exploration began in Austria, and the first explorer was Gottfried Hauenschild in 1864, who described the cave the following year in the Yearbook of the Austrian Alpine Club. According to a legend, it was formed in a rage by the devil:

In ancient times the devil was rather unsuccessful in the small town Hinterstoder, because all people were very pious. He tried the people by all possible means, but in vain. So he got angry and planned to drown the whole valley and its residents.

He worked at the lower end of the valley planning to let the two mountains Kleiner Priel and Steyersberg collapse. This would create a dam and the Steyr river would flood the valley, Stoder would become a lake. However, he was not able to tear down the montains, although he tried hard. Tearing off huge rocks, which still lie in the Steyer today, the black sweat flowed from him in streams. The streams of sweat formed the Schwarzbach (blackwater) which is flowing until today.

Finally, he got so angry, he stamped the ground with rage, forming what is known as Teufelstritt (Devil’s Strike). And finally he ran through the mountain into hell, creating a hole in the mountainside which was later called Kreidelucke.

A. N. Gerhofer (1891): Hinterstoder mit dem Stoderthale, Kleine Orientierungs-Darreichung von A. N. Gerhofer, Selbstverlag, Linz, Druck von S. Tagwerkers Witwe