Great Space Walk – Großer Welt-Raum-Weg

Ischl became a holiday home of European standing from the middle of the 19th century when Emperor Franz Joseph began to spend his holidays in his Ischl summer residence. Bad Ischl – a health resort since 1906 – is located in the heart of the Salzkammergut and offers itself as a starting point for this extraordinarily varied hiking trip. Leisure and relaxation can be found, for example, in the spa park, the spacious thermal bath or by a visit to the famous Café Zauner. At the hotel you will receive your detailed travel documents. (1 night)

Listening Room 1
The Great World Space Journey begins at home in your bathroom or in the hotel bathroom. Take your mobile phone in your hand, connect it to your headphones, open the Alpenvereinaktiv app, go to the sink, close the door. You should have your hands free while listening, so put your mobile phone away. Press play.
You enter your daily space of action, become localised, hear voices doing something, you can also join in, you are in the world, but the water has disappeared. How can you make the wall of the bath transparent?
Listening time 4 minutes.

Start at the bench in front of the parish church heading south towards the Traun. Yellow signposts start here and you follow the signs "Rettenbachwildnis-Karstquelle Hubhanslau" initially through the town of Bad Ischl. After crossing the Rettenbach (Rettenbachwildnis) in a gorge and reaching a gravel road, we hike this to the right for 6km to the Rettenbachalm (car traffic). There are two refreshment stops here. From here, follow the signs for "Ischler Hütte", first 1 km on a forest road, then through forest to the alpine pasture area at Beerensattel and then in 15 minutes slightly descending to the hut on the Schwarzenbergalm.
Overnight stay at the Ischler Hütte (1 night)
Hike: approx. 5 hours (15km, ascent 970 m / descent 70 m)

It is possible to take a taxi to the Rettenbachalm. Journey time approx. 20 minutes. The route is shortened by 8.5 km. (to be paid extra on site)
From the Rettenbachalm on trail no. 211, the Ischler Hütte can be reached in about 2 ½ hours.

Listening Room 2
In Bad Ischl, in front of the parish church, there is a bench across from the main entrance. This is where room 2 begins. Sit down, press play (track 02) and follow the voices ...
Listening time: 22 minutes

Listening Room 3
When you are standing in front of the Rettenbachalm inn, a path leads slightly downhill directly into the alpine pastures, away from the inn. Follow the path and you will see a hunter's stand on the right-hand side. Stand in front of the hunter's stand, with a view of the expanse of the alpine pasture, press play (Track 03).
IMPORTANT: If there are cows grazing at this point, keep your distance and look for another place near the meadow where there are no animals. Keep at least two bus lengths away from the cows.
Listening time: 8 minutes

Listening Room 4
The first part of the path from the Rettenbachalm to the Ischler Hütte leads along a forest road. After about 20 minutes, at the far end of the alpine pasture, there is a turn-off to the right into the forest that leads to the Ischler Hütte - this is where the next audio track begins. Press play (track 04).
Listening time: 15 minutes

Listening Room 5
After two to three hours you will reach the Beerensattel near the Ischler Hütte just before the Schwarzenbergalm. Press play (Track 05) and continue.
Listening time: 4 minutes

At dawn, the route leads from the Ischler Hütte over alpine pastures to a saddle and descends to the Hochkogelhaus. On the way you come to a room marked in the app.
From the Ischler Hütte, the route is initially flat on trail 211, then gradually ascends in a north-easterly direction. At the fork in the path to Schönberg (226), keep straight on. The last section up to a saddle is steep (be careful here!). After a flat section, another path (no. 227) branches off to the right onto the Schönberg. Here and at another crossroads with path no. 230, we keep left again and descend to the Hochkogelhaus (1 night)
Hike: approx. 2 hours (4.5 km, ascent: 360 m / descent 174 m)

Listening Room 6
Ideally, you should be here at sunrise. The walk from the Ischler Hütte takes one to two hours. Look for a pleasant place to sit in the wider surroundings of the signpost. Wait for the sunrise.
When (in fine weather) the light of the sun on the meadow above you is about ten metres away, look up at the sunrise and press play (track 06).
Listening time: 5 minutes

From the Hochkogelhütte we climb up towards Schönberg. At the junction with path 230, we follow it to the left to Wildensee. From there we take path 212 to the Wildenseealm, then path 235 to the Appelhaus. (1 night)
Hike: approx. 7-10 hours (11.1 km, ascent 1,000 m / descent 750 m)
This stage leads partly across the lonely high plateau of the Totes Gebirge. You reach the Wildensee, which forms a complete contrast to what you have experienced before. The ascent to the Albert Appel Haus takes you across alpine pastures and through sparse mountain forest.

Listening Room 7
When you reach the signpost, press play (track 07) and continue.
Listening time: 12 minutes

Listening Room 8
At the arrow with the number 8, turn right off the hiking trail and follow the red crosses on the ground until you reach the marker with the headphones. Press play (track 08) and follow the voices. Please leave the stones where they are in the whole area.
Listening time: 20 minutes

This stage is a relaxed hike, along the high plateau, in a world of meadows and stones, a little way downhill to the Pühringer hut.
From the Appelhaus, follow trail 201 (also E4) below the Wildgössl to Lake Elm and the nearby Pühringerhütte. (1 night)
Hike: approx. 4 hours (10.5 km, metres in ascent 507 m / descent 475 m)

Listening Room 9
Climb about 15 metres up the rocks from the sign, find a good spot, sit down with a view of the waterhole and press play (Track 09).
Listening time: 5 minutes

Listening Room 10
IMPORTANT: First go to the Pühringer Hütte, from there to the listening point at night.
After sunset, in the dark, walk five minutes from the Pühringer Hütte to a flat, large rock on the hiking trail, sit down and press play (track 10).
Listening time: 5 minutes

This stage is an ascent up to the passage into the “steinerne Welt – stony world”, where you reach the stone desert in the afternoon. There you step out of the world of the high plateau and descend to the Priel Schutzhaus.
On this stage, we also stay on trail 201 (also E4) to the Priel Schutzhaus. The route goes via Rotkogelsattel, Temlbergsattel and Klinserscharte. From here we descend to our destination for the day, the Priel Schutzhaus (1 night).
Hike: approx. 5 hours, (11.5 km, ascent: 600 m / descent: 820 m)

Listening Room 11
Press play at the starting point (Track 11) and continue.
Listening time: 4 minutes

Listening Room 12
At the arrow with the number 12, turn left off the hiking trail and follow the red crosses on the ground until you reach the marker with the headphones. Press play (track 12).
Please leave the stones where they are in the whole area.
Listening time: 4 minutes

From the slightly lower-lying hut we descend, always heading east, through the Polsterlucke to Hinterstoder.
On the last stage down into the valley, we follow trail 201 (also E4) to Schiederweiher and the main road with bus stop.
Hike: approx. 2-3 hours (6.5 km, ascent 2 m / descent 820 m)

Listening Room 13
Stand right next to the sign, look towards the road junction and press Play (Track 13).
Listening time: 4 minutes

Individual departure from Hinterstoder.
It is possible to book an extra night in Bad Ischl including a return journey from Hinterstoder. The return journey can be made either by public transport or by taxi transfer.
Please let us know if you would like an extra night in Bad Ischl when booking.
Additional costs for an extra night and return journey to Bad Ischl on request.