Dachstein: Ice Palace and Sky Walk

• The Ice Palace lies inside the Dachstein Glacier.
• The facility was created in 2007.
• Access to the Ice Palace is via the suspension bridge.
• The exhibition combines ice sculptures with information about the glacier.
• The Sky Walk is next to the Dachstein cable car’s mountain station.
• The Hunerkogel rock face drops about 250 metres vertically beneath the platform.

The Ice Palace and Sky Walk are part of the same high-alpine visitor area, but offer different impressions. Inside the Ice Palace, visitors move through rooms made of ice and snow. Carved figures, ice columns and a crystal dome form part of the design. The “Explore the Glacier” exhibition focuses on the development of the Hallstatt Glacier and the work of alpine researcher Friedrich Simony. Simony observed the glacier over decades; his records make changes in the landscape understandable. Ice sculptures therefore complement an exhibition about glacier research.

The Sky Walk, by contrast, directs attention outwards. The platform is beside the mountain station and extends over the edge of the Hunerkogel rock face. Its glass floor makes the depth immediately visible, while on clear days the panorama reaches across the surrounding peaks. Visiting both attractions takes you from a designed ice environment to a viewpoint at the cliff edge. The platform is a constructed viewing point in the mountain-station area.

Access determines the order of a visit: the Ice Palace can only be reached via the suspension bridge. The Sky Walk is immediately beside the mountain station. The station is about 2,700 metres above sea level, where temperatures and weather may differ substantially from conditions in the valley. Warm clothing and sturdy footwear are useful for the Ice Palace. Dogs are not allowed on the Stairway to Nothingness or inside the Ice Palace. The suspension bridge, Stairway to Nothingness and Ice Palace cannot be accessed with a pushchair, wheelchair or walker. These route characteristics matter for families with children and visitors with reduced mobility.

The Dachstein combines a glacier exhibition with a cliff-edge viewpoint in one high-alpine setting. This pairing makes it one of the distinctive winter experiences shaped by the mountain landscape.