Dachstein Mammoth Cave, Natural monument cave system in Obertraun, Austria

The Dachstein Mammoth Cave is a cave system in the Dachstein massif above Obertraun, with 67,701 m of surveyed passages and a height difference of more than 1,200 m between its highest and lowest known points. About 1,000 m are open as a show cave. The summer circuit runs through the artificial New East Entrance into the Lahnerhalle, the Halle der Vergessenen, the tunnel-like Paläotraun and the Mitternachtsdom, then back via the Arkadenkluft.

The cave was discovered in 1910 and opened to tourists soon afterwards. Surveying continues today, largely by the association Freunde der Unterwelt Dachstein, and the known length has grown to 67,701 m, with almost yearly new finds. In 1973 the cave and its surroundings were declared a natural monument.

The name refers to the cave's size, not to mammoth bones, which have never been found here. Research is carried out mainly by the association Freunde der Unterwelt Dachstein, and new passages are still discovered almost every year. The guided route passes the Lahnerhalle, the Halle der Vergessenen, the Paläotraun and the Mitternachtsdom.

You reach the cave entrance via the Dachstein Krippenstein cable car, which runs from May through November and connects directly to the cave. Guided tours last about one hour on relatively level paths, though some sections can be damp, so wear sturdy shoes with good grip.

The name refers to the cave's size, not to mammoth bones, which have never been found here. The guided route turns around at the Mitternachtsdom, a hall reached through the tunnel-like passage called Paläotraun; from there visitors continue to the Arkadenkluft before returning to the Lahnerhalle.