Lackenhof am Ötscher. Mount Ötscher

Lackenhof is one of the numerous village resorts of Austria in the district of Scheibbs. The camera at the bottom of the ski slope shows us the majestic mountain of Ötscher. Its height is 1,893 meters above sea level, and it is part of the Northern Limestone Alps. On the top of the mountain, there is a border between the districts of Lilienfeld and Scheibbs.

The area around the mountain, like Ötscher itself, has the status of a natural park. The entrance fee money, paid by tourists, is needed to maintain the ecosystem of the park in its original form. The natural park was established in 1970, at the time of protests against the construction of a new hydroelectric power station in the Alpine mountains. A characteristic feature of the Ötscher-Tormäuer nature park is the narrow valleys with small streams, pastures, waterfalls and caves.

To attract the attention of tourists, one of the Ötscher Valleys has been unofficially named the Grand Canyon of Lower Austria. In this “canyon” you can see the stunning scenery of the Erlauf River.