Hohe Wand Nature Park

The Hohe Wand Nature Park lies in the Gutenstein Alps of Lower Austria, where a limestone plateau rises above the Vienna Basin. The park protects a striking rock face that drops 230 metres to the ‘New World’, a steep slope facing southeast. Four villages share the park’s edge: Wöllersdorf-Steinabrückl, Bad Fischau-Brunn, Hohe Wand and Höflein an der Hohen Wand. It also belongs to the Northeastern Perimeter Alps protected zone and the Hohe Wand-Dürre Wand Nature Reserve. The cliffs shelter caves such as the Cserny Cave along the Felsenpfad and the Unicorn Cave near Dreistetten. In the 1930s a road was cut into the rock to reach the plateau, and earlier a chairlift carried visitors up. Today the plateau holds a playground with a petting zoo, an alpine museum, and a nature park room. A wild animal park, observation tower and giant marmot sculpture provide further attractions. A network of hiking paths, secured klettersteigs and open climbing terrain criss-crosses the plateau. Hang-gliding and paragliding launch sites sit beside the Skywalk observation terrace at the cliff edge. The Felsenpfad cliff path leads walkers past the Kohlröserlhaus, while guided woodland tours, adventure walks and llama trekking add variety.