Oberösterreich

Salzkammergut


Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) is a north-western federal state bordering Germany and the Czech Republic. In contrast to Lower Austria, the name has nothing to do with the altitude, historically this was the Archduchy of Austria ob der Enns, one of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Austria ob der Enns became Upper Austria.

Upper Austria is geographically and geologically divided into three parts.

The Mühlviertel north and a little south of the Danube belongs to the granite and gneiss highlands of the Bohemian Massif. This is a very old crystalline region with a low mountain range, hills which get higher towards the north. The geology is not suitable for cave formation and there is no mining.

The Upper Austrian Alpine Foreland between the Danube and the Alps has a flat, partly hilly forest and meadow landscape. The area belongs to the Molasse zone, an area of subsidence in which several kilometres of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks were deposited. Although there are also limestones, the low altitude is unfortunately not favourable for karstification. This area is also almost devoid of underground sights.

Everything is concentrated in the south, the Upper Austrian Alps. This is part of the Northern Limestone Alps, where several alpine karst areas are located. The Dachstein is the best developed with several show caves. The Totes Gebirge is a hotspot for cave exploration in Austria, where a lot of new territory has been discovered in recent years. There is also rock salt and mining since the Celts, and several show mines.