Höllentalquellen-Denkmal

The Höllentalquellen are several springs on the Rax in Lower Austria, captured for the first Vienna high-source water pipeline. They lie in the Höllental valley, where the Schwarza river breaks through between the Rax and Schneeberg massifs. The main spring and three smaller ones, including the Augenbrunnen, sit at the entrance to the Great Höllental, a side valley that climbs eight kilometres above Reichenau an der Rax toward the Rax plateau. The springs were planned from the start as key sources for the pipeline built in the 1860s and opened in 1873. Legal challenges under the 1869 Reich Water Act and the 1870 Lower Austrian Water Rights Act delayed their connection until 1893. During the delay a temporary wooden channel carried water downhill, and later three more small springs were captured. The nearby Schößl building was removed to protect the water supply. Visitors reach the area along the Höllental road where an inscribed pillar marks the site. The pillar bears the Vienna coat of arms and notes the inclusion of the springs in the Kaiser Franz Josef high-source pipeline under Mayor Dr. Johann Nep. Prix in 1893. Beyond the pillar, fenced protection zones and restricted paths guard the springs, part of the large Rax–Schneeberg–Schneealpe water conservation area. The valley itself forms part of the North-eastern Randalpen Europe protected site and a broader landscape protection district.