Gollinger Wasserfall

The Schwarzbachfall at Golling comes out of the rock rather than down a valley: the water is a karst spring emerging from the Tennengebirge massif, and it drops about seventy-five metres in two stages into a wooded basin, with a path and stairs climbing between the lower and upper falls in about twenty minutes. Because the source is a spring inside limestone, the flow is steadier than a rain-fed fall and holds up through dry spells. The setting - dark rock, moss, spray and a small chapel below - attracted painters, and Oskar Kokoschka painted it in the 1910s; Hans Christian Andersen visited and used it. It is a short outing rather than a hike, and it pairs with the Salzachöfen gorge nearby, which is a much rougher and more dramatic slot.

The landscape

• A karst spring fall - seventy-five metres in two stages out of the rock.
• Upper and lower viewpoints - stairs climbing between them in twenty minutes.
• Steady flow - spring-fed, so it holds up better than rain-fed falls.
• A painted setting - the basin Kokoschka worked in and Andersen described.

When to go

May to October; closed or icy in winter. Two hours.

What to expect

It is short - an hour or two. The path is wet with spray and slippery. Parking is small and fills at weekends. Closed in winter and after storm damage.

Nearby

The Salzachöfen gorge is close; Werfen and the Eisriesenwelt are south.

Key facts