Wildensteiner Wasserfall

The Wildensteiner Wasserfall drops fifty-four metres in a single free fall from a lip of rock in the Sattnitz hills south of the Drau, which makes it the highest free-falling waterfall in Carinthia, and unlike most falls of that size it is reached by a short and easy walk of about twenty minutes from the car park - which is why it appears on family outings. The water comes off a limestone shelf and lands in a bowl with spray reaching well beyond it, so the approach is wet. Above it stand the ruins of Wildenstein castle, a twelfth-century fortress that gave the fall its name. In hard winters the fall freezes into a full ice column and is climbed by ice climbers, which has become the more photographed version of it in recent years.

The landscape

• A fifty-four metre free fall - the highest of its kind in Carinthia.
• A short easy approach - about twenty minutes on foot from the parking.
• Wildenstein castle ruins - the twelfth-century fortress above the lip.
• A frozen ice column - in hard winters, climbed by ice climbers.

When to go

April to October for water; deep winter for the ice. Half a day.

Practical notes

Flow drops a great deal in a dry summer. The approach and the viewing area are wet with spray and slippery. Ice climbing below the fall means falling ice; keep clear in winter.

Nearby

Gallizien and the Drau valley are north; Bad Eisenkappel is south-east.

Key facts