by Arlavinda Rezqita
Hey, spring is here . Better go and play outside, kids! If you are in Vienna and have no any other idea where to visit beside Ring, Prater, Schönbrunn, Donau, and any other typical tourist spots, I recommend you to go to Seegrotte. It is something that you can not find in any other cities. Seegrotte ‘Lake Cave’ is the largest underground lake in Austria, even in Europe (ou jeaah!). It is situated in Hinterbrühl, Lower Austria, just a stone’s throw away from Vienna. I would say it’s one of those Fehler. Why? Because it’s product of deformity. It was originally a gypsum mine. The expansion plans for the mine grew too ambitious and a further blasting operation resulted a flood. In 1912, the mine was flooded with 20 million liters of water. Ou lala, that was a huge problem for miners of course. But now, it became a tourist attraction. Not so bad, eh?
Yusfan, Dhota, Rasmi, and I actually planned this Seegrotte trip since ages. So, on one quite sunny Sunday morning few weeks ago, we decided to go there. We took S-bahn from Wien Mitte to Mödling for approximately 30 minutes. From Mödling station, we walked through a nice and small city centre instead of waiting for the bus. Because simply we didn’t like waiting!
During weekends, this bus operates once in an hour. While, the journey by walking took more less an hour as well.
During weekends, this bus operates once in an hour. While, the journey by walking took more less an hour as well.
After purchasing the ticket, we had to wait 15 mins until the guard let us come in. Entering the gate, we found the hall was looong and narrow. The cave was closed and low light. A lil bit creepy but cool! So, I wouldn’t recommend for any of you who has claustrophobia. Another thing, I wouldn’t recommend you to wear high heels since the way is a lil bit slippery. The guided tour is in German, but you can request in English as well.
During World War II, Seegrotte was used by German military forces to produce one of the first jetfighters of the world, so-called “Heinkel HE 162 Salamander". A model of the plane and some original parts are shown inside the Seegrotte. Apart from that history, the guide mentioned that it’s where "Three Musketeers" was filmed in 1993.
The lake was 60 m below the surface with average depth 1,20 m. We had a “silent” 20 mins boat trip. The water was clear and green - not because of algae. There’s no sunlight at all, how they could even grow! Afterwards, we took around on upper floor. Nothing particular. If you are thinking about not enough walking, you can hike Naturpark Föhrenberg, just nearby. I mean outside the cave. So, if you want to explore the area around Vienna, Seegrotte in Hinterbrühl is worth to visit .
Admission:
Adults: 10 €, Children (4-14 years old) : 7 € , Family Card (2 adults + 2 children) : 27 €
Operating Hours:
April - October: 9:00 – 17:00 daily, last entrance 16:15
November - March: 9:00 – 15:00 daily, last entrance 14:15
How to get there:
Take the S1 or S2 trains from Vienna to Modling station, then the bus 365 or 262 to “Seegrotte Hinterbrühl” station just in front of the entrance.
Official website : http://www.seegrotte.at/
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