Pießling Ursprung

In summer, an average of 2,000 liters of water per second flow out of the siphon-shaped cave. During snowmelt or after storms, it can even be 7,000 liters or more. The Pießling Ursprung could thus cover the daily water needs of 700,000 people. The underground drainage system, from which the karst spring is fed, consists of larger cavities and collection veins that branch into a widely ramified network of tubes. Into these, precipitation on the high plateaus of the Warscheneck over an area of 94 km² seeps into countless cracks, joints, and fissures of the limestone mountains, until it reappears at the foot of the mountain in this large spring. The masses of water stream upwards with great force from the approximately 32-meter-deep spring pool, shimmering in all shades of blue and green. This makes cave diving at the Pießling Ursprung very dangerous, and after two fatalities, it has now been strictly forbidden. The Pießling Ursprung karst spring is generally accessible, but not passable in snowy conditions. In summer, the Pießling Ursprung is even accessible with a stroller, except for the last few meters.