The Höllental ("Hell Valley") in

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

is a narrow valley between the steep

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

massifs of the Schneeberg and

Rax The Rax is a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps on the border of the Austrian federal provinces of Lower Austria and Styria. Its highest peak is the ''Heukuppe'' (2,007 m). The Rax, together with the nearby Schneeberg, are a tradition ...

through which the River Schwarza flows. It stretches for a total of 16.5 km between

Schwarzau im Gebirge Schwarzau im Gebirge is a village in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, lo ...

and Hirschwang and, because of its natural beauty, it belongs to the Natura 2000 region of Northeastern Border Alps: Hohe Wand - Schneeberg - Rax (''Nordöstliche Randalpen: Hohe Wand - Schneeberg - Rax''). It biggest side valleys are the Weich valley, the Großes Höllental (which is much smaller however), the Kesselgraben, the Nasswald and Voisbach valleys. A well-developed road, the Höllental Straße (B 27), follows the course of the river and is especially popular with motorcyclists. In the valley and its side valleys are important sources of drinking water supply (The Fuchs Pass Spring, Kaiserbrunn and Wasseralm Spring), whose water is delivered to the Austria's capital city of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

over the

First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline The First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline (I. Wiener Hochquellenwasserleitung) is a major part of Vienna's water supply and was the first source of safe drinking water for that city. The 95 km long line was opened on 24 October 1873, after fo ...

(''I. Wiener Hochquellenwasserleitung''). On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the pipeline, the so-called 1st Viennese Pipeline Way (''1. Wiener Wasserleitungsweg'') was built along the most attractive sections of the route, which runs as a walking trail between Kaiserbrunn and Hirschwang.Webservice der Stadt Wien
''Der 1. Wiener Wasserleitungsweg''
(accessed on 23 April 2010) The Kaiserbrunn Water Pipeline Museum has information on the history and construction of the pipeline and Vienna's water supply.Webservice der Stadt Wien

(accessed on 23 April 2010) Because the valley is a popular tourist destination, there are several restaurants along the road. In Naßwald there are the ''Gasthof zur Singerin'' and the ''Weichtalhaus'' at the start of the Weich valley, and in Kaiserbrunn is the ''Landgasthof Kaiserbrunn''. The Höllental is the start point for Alpine tours to the Schneeberg and Rax mountains. The Schwarza is used in this area for swimming and

wild water Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and w ...

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ing and for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...

. There is a public bus line through the Höllental from

Rohr im Gebirge Rohr im Gebirge is a village in the Wiener Neustadt-Land district of Lower Austria in Austria. Geography Rohr im Gebirge is located in the Industrieviertel, the first industrialised part of Lower Austria. Of its 80.58 square kilometers, 89.95% is ...

and Schwarzau im Gebirge to the station at Payerbach-Reichenau, that runs several times daily in both directions. In addition the Höllental Railway runs on summer weekends from the Semmering Railway to the beginning of the Höllental. Hoellental2.jpg, The Höllental: rock wall near the Rechen bridge Hoellental3.jpg, The Höllental: gravel bank on the Schwarza Reichenau an der Rax - Weichtalhaus, neues.JPG, The new Weichtalhaus at the start of the ''Weichtalklamm'' gorge ()

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollental (Lower Austria) Canyons and gorges of Austria Valleys of Lower Austria Rax-Schneeberg Group Neunkirchen District, Austria Landforms of Lower Austria Tourist attractions in Lower Austria