Caves in
Upper Austria
A Chat By Dr. Hans Seigal
This is not a scientific report, nor is it a complete list or description. Such matters would have to be published elsewhere.
Its hard to say how often I have been asked what we cavers are searching for underground. Whenever people find out that I deal with caves and take part in expeditions, they ask me that question. A comprehensive answer would fill a thick volume. Let me try to say it in a few words: we look, experience and explore. We are servants of science, and in our community experts and laymen have equal rights. He, who wants to become famous, is in the wrong place. I must beg your pardon that I am going to talk about myself a little.
When I was a youngster studying at a secondary school (one
of my teachers was a grand geologist and mineralogist) I visited the
Some years ago, I stated in an article written for some prominent periodical, that caves should be entered only in company with an expert. But who is an expert? He who is familiar with the matter is one. In the case of caves this matter is rather extensive. A caver must at least be familiar with all alpinistic techniques on rock and ice; he must know how to handle all the material a climber needs, including rope ladders, belaying material and an acetylene lamp (the best and most reliable source of light for the caver).
Before talking of the caves themselves, let me say: caving means teamwork. Its hazardous to go there alone, the danger being the same as with rock climbing but in addition to that there is complete darkness in a cave (so have a good light with you).
But now lets start talking business:
By January 1966, 866 caves were known in
There is a lot of literature on our commercial caves. In Upper Austria there are four:
But here I want to talk of wild caves. Most of them are reserved to speleologists and cavers as a layman would not be able to stand the strain. It is not always the danger that keeps the layman off, but strain and endurance. There are not too many people who want to work in darkness and moisture, creeping on their bellies though tight passages in wet loam.
Let me begin with our
A visit to
To the mountaineer roaming our
We cave people mostly avoid speaking of these things because
such stories might attract people who are likely to devastate such places. This has happened in the cave mentioned
above, and thats a great pity as such formations will not form any more the
climatic conditions have greatly changed. There are even eccentrics (you will also hear the word helictites being
used for them) in this cave. Far more of
this type of calcite formation you will find in some other caves, especially in
There is one more range of mountains, the Hollengebirge (a misnomer as it ought to be Hohlengebirge cave mountains). In recent years quite a bit of work has been done here. I must beg your pardon having told you so much that you have known already. Maybe you have not heard of the Kreidelucke (Chalk Hole) that is near a waterfall (called Stromboding) near Windischgarstein. In dry weather it is quite a pleasurable trip, but when it is wet you might lose your boots in there.
Italienerloch (Italians Cave) is another interesting phenomenon. It was given this name as Italians came here in former times to carry away large pieces of calcite sinter having colourful stripes (from a snowy white to a deep brown hue). It was ground and polished and used for making tabletops, ashtrays, etc. There are also Karst springs, the largest of which is Piebling Ursprung (Piebling Spring). Divers have tried to find out its mystery.
I know I ought to say a few words about our hypogean fauna but this is so very much specialised an item that I do not dare to do so (I know some of your specialists to whom I want to bow most devotedly). But there was some event that I want to mention. In the late twenties one of our comrades found a tiny beetle - a trychophaenops angulipennis. At first scientists were in doubt whether it had been found in places indicated by him. But he was proved the truth of his report and, in this way, geologists had to abandon a whole theory on the glacial period.
But lets stop thinking about work, lets go down into the caves and look for the wonders waiting for us down there. Gluck tief or as you would possible say Good caving to everybody.
P.S. I do hope you will not mind my English.
References numbered in the text above are the Editors additions. Refs 1, 2 & 3 see B.B. No. 214 (Dachstein Massif, Hirlatzhohle, Raucherkar System, Kroppenbruller Hohle, Dachstein Ice Cave & Eisrienwelt. B.B. 222 Raucherkar System. B.B. No. 237 & 239 The Ahnenschascht.