Subterrainian fun in Austria. (Seegrotte Hinterbruehl, Austria)

Member Name: jimblob

Product:	Seegrotte Hinterbruehl, Austria
Date:	30/11/04 (1255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great tourist attraction

Disadvantages: Out of the way location

The "SEEGROTTE" in Hinterbrühl, just south of Vienna is a fascinating historical site open to the public for tours and souvenirs.

The Seegrotte is actually an old Gypsum mine where white and red Gypsum was mined from the late 1800’s.
In 1912 a blasting operation let loose millions of gallons of water which flooded the lower caverns of the mine, creating the largest underground lake in Europe.
In the 1930’s a team of cave explorers found the lake and eventually they managed to open the mine for all to see this amazing spectacle.
During World War 2 the Germans requisitioned the mine and pumped all the water out, they then set up an underground factory to produce the fuselage of the world’s first jet plane, the HE 162. At one time they had over 2000 prisoners of war working in cold damp conditions producing these aircraft, the British tried to target the mine but succeeded only in blocking the entrance for a time. The Germans themselves tried to destroy the mine when they abandoned it near the end of the war.

Not long after the war ended the mine was reopened to tourists and to date more than 10,000,000 visitors have toured the mine and its workings.

At the beginning of October I went to Vienna for a weeks break from the drudgery of work, it was a last minute choice of destination (well, I booked it three weeks before leaving but everything else was booked up for the week I wanted to go, my original choice was either Prague or Venice) and it was an inspired choice as it turned out.

The second day of our holiday saw us driving out of the city and down to the Bergwerk Seegrotte, we had seen a pamphlet about it in the hotel and thought it looked interesting.
At the entrance there is a charming little coffee house where you can purchase light meals, beer and, would you believe, coffee. Further to the coffee house there is a small souvenir shop with plenty of bits of tat ideal for bringing back to annoy those you left behind.

After paying 7 euros at the mine entrance you are escorted by a tour guide down a very small tunnel for about 450 yards, as the tunnel comes to end it opens up into a series of large caverns.
The tour guide we had was brilliant, he realised quickly that we were the only English speaking people there and gave the tour in both English and German, he was very funny and entertaining and made the whole experience very satisfying.

At the far end of the mine it opens up into a really large cavern which has numerous candles stuck in all manner of nooks and crannies all around it, in this cavern they hold large religious meetings in which the arch bishop of Vienna has held many services for as many as 2000 people, many important services are held there and it beggars belief how they all manage to stay calm in the small tunnel leading into the mine.

On display in some of the smaller caverns off the main mine are relics of the mines past, including parts from the aircraft and some carvings done in Gypsum by the POW’s.

The tour ends when the guide leads us down a steep set of steps toward darkness, at the bottom everyone stands at a barrier whilst the guide turns a key in the wall and suddenly the lake is lit up to gasps all around.
We all get onboard a smallish electrically powered boat and set sail for a tour of the lake, every flooded cavern has different patterns caused by the light reflecting off the still water and the roof of the caves, it is a truly awesome experience, made slightly creepy by the weird music that echoes around you.

When Disney made the film “The three Musketeers” they used the underground lake as a film location. They built a large Viking like vessel and filmed the Musketeers on board to simulate them sailing under the Bastille as they went to rescue the King, the boat has been left behind and makes an impressive sight sitting in the water.

After the boat ride the guide asks everyone to climb to the top of the steps again and lets everyone make their own way out, this gives plenty of time to take photo’s and to take in parts of the mine we may have missed on the way in.

The temperature in the mine is only 9 degree’s so it makes sense to take a warm jacket with you, but if you have forgotten your jacket they will give you a blanket to wrap around your shoulders and keep the chill out.


Austria and in particular Vienna, is a wonderful destination for any holiday maker, the Seegrotte was only one of the many sights we managed to take in on our week away, the people are very friendly, the scenery is amazing and Vienna in particular is just brilliant, we loved it so much we are already planning a return!

Summary: