Chorinsky-Klause

Hiking and Biking

This sight in the middle of the picturesque Brunntal alp in the Weissenbach valley of Bad Goisern is of historical importance and uniqueness. Combined with a bike tour or hike, the wood drift system is the highlight for a relaxing day in nature in the holiday region Dachstein Salzkammergut.

Built of wood - made for wood

The Chorinsky-Klause in the Weißenbach valley of Bad Goisern is a dam that was built in the 19th century to transport wood. A classic wood drift system. As early as 1526 there were the first porches that were used to store water. These were still made of wood, which made renovations necessary again and again. There is evidence of these new buildings in 1656 and 1766. A few hundred years passed before the construction of the now existing hermitage was started in 1809. Why all this?

Once a radio tower in Berlin-Scholzplatz!

Those who know the Salzkammergut can definitely imagine the reason for the need and the transport of huge amounts of wood. It was of course the salt mine in Hallstatt that consumed a gigantic amount of wood per day to fire the salt mine! In concrete terms, it was 230 m³ of wood that was burned every day in Hallstatt. If you were to stack this wood, you would get a tower that is as high as the Berlin-Scholzplatz radio tower. Later, of course, wood was increasingly replaced by coal and so the demand decreased over the centuries. Nevertheless, in the Salzkammergut, timber and transport had to be rationalized very early on.

One of the last wooden drift systems in the Salzkammergut

The 28.27m long wooden drift system still rises on a rock bank. The rock in the Salzkammergut is primarily limestone, which is why the Chorinsky-Klause also consists of limestone blocks. The actual dam wall is 6.21 m high. This pioneering technical structure creates a maximum backwater of 75,000m³ of water. The wood transport is based on this, because the water was dammed and after the hermitage, the wood waited to be transported in the stream to the Weißenbach district.The locks were not simply opened but "struck" with a special mechanism. So the water and the wood flowed through the valley at breakneck speed.

Until the early 2000s, a "Klausschlag" was held annually. In recent years, however, the Chorinskyklause was no longer allowed to be beaten for environmental reasons. The hermitage can still be visited free of charge at any time and you can experience a piece of woodworking history up close.

Other interesting spots nearby

Not far from the Chorinksy-Klause is the well-known Imperial Table. And whoever would like to learn something about the life of the woodcutters is well informed and looked after in the wood cutter museum Bad Goisern!


Experience a 360° panorama tour through Bad Goisern at Lake Hallstatt…