Latest news with #HausHirt
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Why you should visit Bad Gastein, Austria's spa town
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Morning light creeps over central Austria's Hohe Tauern Alps, spotlighting summits one by one. As our yoga group launches into asanas, the valley below is bathed gold. There can be few lovelier spots to practise sun salutations than here, on a platform high in the forest of Bad Gastein, with a ringside seat of the mountains and within earshot of the town's waterfall. 'It's a magical place,' says Annette Söhnlein, smiling as radiant as the new day. She's leading a class at Haus Hirt, the Alpine-chic lodge where I'm staying for the week. Once a refuge for writers like Stefan Zweig and Thomas Mann, the 1920s building was redesigned in 2000, with contemporary art and rooms designed to frame the view. 'Here in the embrace of tall trees, every breath is filled with mountain air,' says Annette. 'Our senses are awakened by the mountains and vast sky, and the sound of the nearby waterfall.' The 1,119ft-high, mist-cloaked waterfall is as if God whipped the plug out: the torrent rages through forest and dives over ragged cliffs into three turquoise pools as it plunges into town, splitting it in two. Its source is ice melt from Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria's first and biggest, spreading 717sq miles across the country's highest peaks and glaciers. The water rolls down the mountains, through gorges and streams, reaching Bad Gastein in its purest form. Over 3,000 years, this mineral-rich water has also filtered through rock. Five million litres of it bubble to the surface every day at 17 thermal springs, at temperatures between 44C and 47C. Romans, emperors, aristocrats, artists — all dunked in these waters over the centuries seeking a cure for their ailments. The water made Bad Gastein's fortunes, as reflected in its architecture. Chandelier-lit, marble-clad belle époque villas cling to the town's sheer, wooded rock faces, like a miniature Vienna transposed onto the wildest of Alpine backdrops. For a while, with taking the waters no longer in fashion, the resort slipped into anonymity. But recently, interest in one of Austria's most unique spa towns has surged. Hotels are again tapping into the waters, from Haus Hirt to the recently revamped Straubinger, with its rooftop infinity pool, and the Cōmodo, which offers bespoke treatments. But this is first and foremost an Alpine resort, and the mountains tearing across the horizon entice me to head higher. I take the cable car up to 7,220ft Stubnerkogel, where hikers proceed like tightrope walkers on a 450ft-long hanging bridge that rocks in the breeze between the station and a transmission tower. A five-minute walk away, a viewing platform juts out into the void, peering over to glacier-tipped Grossglockner, Austria's highest peak at 3,798m (12,460ft). I head off on a four-hour hike to the nearby resort of Sportgastein, up and over scree fields, wildflower-sprinkled pastures and rocky passes. The water is ice cold at Bockhartsee, an ink-blue lake cradled by mountains along the way, but I brave a quick, heart-stopping dip. Gold was once mined around this high body of water. Then — legend has it — a dragon covered it in ice and the treasures sank, forever gone. But there was gold elsewhere. A couple of miles up the valley from Bad Gastein, Radhausberg mountain in the village of Böckstein was the El Dorado of the Alps to medieval miners. By the 17th century, the practice ceased, the ore veins depleted. But the caves were reopened in the 1940s in the hope of discovering rich gold deposits. Instead, something curious happened: miners emerged from the caves considerably healthier than when they entered. Bad backs, coughs and colds, rashes and rheumatism — all are said to have magically disappeared. The secret? Radon, seeping through the rock fissures and cracks in small, safe quantities, widely believed to boost the immune system. The mines are now the Gasteiner Heilstollen health centre. On a visit, I get my blood pressure checked, strip to my bathing suit, pop on a bathrobe and board a little yellow train chugging to a chamber deep in the bowels of the mountain. I'm allotted a lounger and sit in silence with strangers as the hammam-like heat of around 40C gradually intensifies. I'm there for an hour, but a minimum two-week treatment plan is needed to reap real benefits, I'm told. Still, I make the most of my stay in Bad Gastein and, back at Haus Hirt, head to the spa. 'I'm going to leave you to relax here,' says Evelyn Ikrath, who grew up in the resort and now manages the hotel with architect husband Ike. She ushers me into a dimly lit chamber, where a sunken bath is filled with radon-rich thermal water. 'You might feel a little lightheaded when you get out.' Actually, I feel as though I'm drifting on air, with a pleasant heat that penetrates to my core. I wrap up in a bathrobe and watch the valley fall into shadow. Opting for a pack of mineral-rich mud, I'm then slathered in the stuff, wrapped up cocoon-like and left to float on a waterbed. By the time I leave the spa to dress for dinner, the first stars are blinking in the sky. I can no longer see the waterfall, but as I push open my balcony door and peer out into the night, I can hear its flow. Now, as always in Bad Gastein, everything comes back to water. And what special water it is. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
28-04-2025
- National Geographic
For centuries, locals have been taking the waters of Bad Gastein—here's why you should too
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Morning light creeps over central Austria's Hohe Tauern Alps, spotlighting summits one by one. As our yoga group launches into asanas, the valley below is bathed gold. There can be few lovelier spots to practise sun salutations than here, on a platform high in the forest of Bad Gastein, with a ringside seat of the mountains and within earshot of the town's waterfall. 'It's a magical place,' says Annette Söhnlein, smiling as radiant as the new day. She's leading a class at Haus Hirt, the Alpine-chic lodge where I'm staying for the week. Once a refuge for writers like Stefan Zweig and Thomas Mann, the 1920s building was redesigned in 2000, with contemporary art and rooms designed to frame the view. 'Here in the embrace of tall trees, every breath is filled with mountain air,' says Annette. 'Our senses are awakened by the mountains and vast sky, and the sound of the nearby waterfall.' The 1,119ft-high, mist-cloaked waterfall is as if God whipped the plug out: the torrent rages through forest and dives over ragged cliffs into three turquoise pools as it plunges into town, splitting it in two. Its source is ice melt from Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria's first and biggest, spreading 717sq miles across the country's highest peaks and glaciers. The water rolls down the mountains, through gorges and streams, reaching Bad Gastein in its purest form. Over 3,000 years, this mineral-rich water has also filtered through rock. Five million litres of it bubble to the surface every day at 17 thermal springs, at temperatures between 44C and 47C. Romans, emperors, aristocrats, artists — all dunked in these waters over the centuries seeking a cure for their ailments. 'Here in the embrace of tall trees, every breath is filled with mountain air,' says Annette Söhnlein, yoga instructor at the Alpine-chic lodge, Haus Hirt. 'Our senses are awakened by the mountains and vast sky, and the sound of the nearby waterfall.' Photograph by Alamy; The water made Bad Gastein's fortunes, as reflected in its architecture. Chandelier-lit, marble-clad belle époque villas cling to the town's sheer, wooded rock faces, like a miniature Vienna transposed onto the wildest of Alpine backdrops. For a while, with taking the waters no longer in fashion, the resort slipped into anonymity. But recently, interest in one of Austria's most unique spa towns has surged. Hotels are again tapping into the waters, from Haus Hirt to the recently revamped Straubinger, with its rooftop infinity pool, and the Cōmodo, which offers bespoke treatments. But this is first and foremost an Alpine resort, and the mountains tearing across the horizon entice me to head higher. I take the cable car up to 7,220ft Stubnerkogel, where hikers proceed like tightrope walkers on a 450ft-long hanging bridge that rocks in the breeze between the station and a transmission tower. A five-minute walk away, a viewing platform juts out into the void, peering over to glacier-tipped Grossglockner, Austria's highest peak at 3,798m (12,460ft). I head off on a four-hour hike to the nearby resort of Sportgastein, up and over scree fields, wildflower-sprinkled pastures and rocky passes. The water is ice cold at Bockhartsee, an ink-blue lake cradled by mountains along the way, but I brave a quick, heart-stopping dip. Gold was once mined around this high body of water. Then — legend has it — a dragon covered it in ice and the treasures sank, forever gone. But there was gold elsewhere. A couple of miles up the valley from Bad Gastein, Radhausberg mountain in the village of Böckstein was the El Dorado of the Alps to medieval miners. By the 17th century, the practice ceased, the ore veins depleted. But the caves were reopened in the 1940s in the hope of discovering rich gold deposits. Instead, something curious happened: miners emerged from the caves considerably healthier than when they entered. Bad backs, coughs and colds, rashes and rheumatism — all are said to have magically disappeared. The secret? Radon, seeping through the rock fissures and cracks in small, safe quantities, widely believed to boost the immune system. Gold was once mined around the ink-blue waters of Bockharstee lake. Legend has it that a dragon covered the gold in ice and the treasures sank, forever gone. Photograph by Alamy Images; Room the Agency The mines are now the Gasteiner Heilstollen health centre. On a visit, I get my blood pressure checked, strip to my bathing suit, pop on a bathrobe and board a little yellow train chugging to a chamber deep in the bowels of the mountain. I'm allotted a lounger and sit in silence with strangers as the hammam-like heat of around 40C gradually intensifies. I'm there for an hour, but a minimum two-week treatment plan is needed to reap real benefits, I'm told. Still, I make the most of my stay in Bad Gastein and, back at Haus Hirt, head to the spa. 'I'm going to leave you to relax here,' says Evelyn Ikrath, who grew up in the resort and now manages the hotel with architect husband Ike. She ushers me into a dimly lit chamber, where a sunken bath is filled with radon-rich thermal water. 'You might feel a little lightheaded when you get out.' Actually, I feel as though I'm drifting on air, with a pleasant heat that penetrates to my core. I wrap up in a bathrobe and watch the valley fall into shadow. Opting for a pack of mineral-rich mud, I'm then slathered in the stuff, wrapped up cocoon-like and left to float on a waterbed. By the time I leave the spa to dress for dinner, the first stars are blinking in the sky. I can no longer see the waterfall, but as I push open my balcony door and peer out into the night, I can hear its flow. Now, as always in Bad Gastein, everything comes back to water. And what special water it is. It's a scenic 1h30m train ride from Salzburg to Bad Gastein; renovations to this line should finish in July 2025. Doubles at Haus Hirt from £240 include half board, use of the spa and yoga sessions. The Gastein Card gives free use of local buses, free guided half- and full-day hikes, and substantial discounts at local thermal baths and Gasteiner Heilstollen — it's available to all guests staying in Bad Gastein. This story was created with the support of Haus Hirt and Bad Gastein/Gasteinertal Tourism. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
