Hochkarschacht

Useful Information

Location:	Lassing 46, 3345 Lassing bei Selzthal. Near Göstling on the Ybbs. A1 exit Ybbs, B25 south through Scheibbs, Neubruck, Gaming and Göstling 55 km to Lassing. In Lassing turn left onto toll road Hochkar-Alpenstraße (Hochkar Alpine road). During ski season toll station at Lassing, all other time pay toll at the terminus. 10 km uphill to the terminus with big car park and cable car. 5 min. walk to the cave at the foot of the second prop of the cable car. (47.7164626, 14.9157284)
Open:	Currently no cave guide available. [2025]
Fee:	yes. Maut (toll) for the road. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=650 m, VR=133 m, A=1,620 m asl.
Guided tours:	D=90 min, Min=9, Max=25, MinAge=6.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Fritz Apeldauer: Der Hochkarschacht bei Göstling/Ybbs
Address:	Hochkar & Ötscher Tourismus GmbH, Göstling 46, 3345 Göstling/Ybbs, Tel: +43-5-0138-200, Tel: +43-7484-2122. E-mail:
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

1923	natural entrance to the cave discovered by Michael Müllner.
24-SEP-1963	first exploration attempt by Werner Putz, Hubert Bruckner and Helmut Fritz failed.
1964	first successful exploration by the Verein für Höhlenkunde using 30 rope ladders.
29-JUL-1965	tunnel built by Franz Geischläger.
18-NOV-1966	declared a Natural Monument.
1969	opened to the public.

Description

The location of the Hochkarschacht is rather special, this cave is on top of a mountain right in the middle of a ski resort. To get there, we take a steep toll road which goes up to a plateau right below the summit of the Hochkar (1,808 m asl). Here is a huge parking lot, several hotels and restaurants, the cable car to the summit and ski lifts. Most of the year this ski resort is deserted. But in winter, with enough snow, it is a popular ski area and overcrowded each weekend by day tourists. The development of the Hochkar cave as a show cave was directly related to the construction of the 9.5-kilometre-long road. At the instigation of Franz Geischläger, the architect of the road to the skiing area, a tunnel to the lower part of the cave was constructed. With this artificial entrance, the cave could now be reached without the arduous shaft descent of over 70 m.

The Hochkarschacht is a huge alpine cave, the main sight is the 70 m deep entrance shaft, which is really impressive. But the visitor enters the cave at the floor, through the artificial tunnel which leads directly to the vast Pfingsthalle. It was discovered on Pentecost 1964, hence the name Pentecost Hall. The chamber is 35 m long, 20 m high, and 15 m wide. The cave is noteworthy for its series of huge wide vaults linked by small narrow passages.

The cave was discovered in 1923 by Michael Müllner. He probably did not have the necessary equipment and did not publish his discovery, there is only a mention in his notes. In the early 1960s, the Hochkar was developed as a ski resort by the Hochkar Tourist Board, and it was obvious that drinking water was needed for the hotels and restaurants. To avoid the construction of an expensive 10-kilometre-long water pipeline, springs were sought on the Hochkar, but unfortunately none were found. It was in this context that the cave became interesting again, and it was hoped that water would be found at the bottom of the cave. However, the first attempt into the cave on 24-SEP-1963 by Werner Putz, Hubert Bruckner and Helmut Fritz failed. The men lacked the necessary equipment for such a deep shaft. At Whitsun 1964, the Verein für Höhlenkunde tried again and managed to reach the bottom of the shaft by using 30 wire rope ladders. They discovered the horizontal passage of the cave, the Schichthöhle. Further explorations and discoveries followed in 1965. The cave was also surveyed, which made it clear that the end of the Pfingsthalle was not far from the surface. That same year, in July, the tunnel was built at the instigation of Geischläger. And the following year, the shaft and the area surrounding the entrances were placed under cave protection.

Unfortunately it is rather difficult to visit this cave. Although it is well developed, with good paths, entrance adits and electric light, there are no regular tours. It is necessary to make an appointment, and the minimum group size is nine persons. There is absolutely no chance to get in without prior arrangement. At the moment the cave unfortunately temporarily closed, as they have no cave guide. In Austria there is a law that cave tours may only be offered by staatlich geprüfte Höhlenführer (government-certified cave guides). They are looking for a cave guide with such a certificate, and are even willing to finance the training as a cave guide if someone is interested.