A natural refuge in summer and winter alike
The Turracher Höhe is a plateau with a mountain lake at 1,763m above sea level. The border between the Austrian federal states of Carinthia and Styria runs right through the lake. The Hochschober hotel lies on the Carinthia side of the lake.
Moving & exploring
Distinctive features of the Turracher Höhe landscape are, aside from the
Nockberge Mountains, the three mountain lakes – Lake Turracher See, Lake Schwarzsee and Lake Grünsee – as well as the largest connected Swiss pine forest in Austria.
14 ski lifts make the area, where snow is guaranteed, accessible to skiers in winter. In summer, the Kornockbahn and Panoramabahn cable cars are in operation. The Panoramabahn takes you to
Nocky Flitzer – the spectacular Turracher Alpine Rollercoaster – and
Nocky's AlmZeit games and adventure park for families, complete with traditional yet modern mountain cottage restaurant.
Late arrivals
Because of its location at high altitude, the Turracher Höhe was unpopulated for a long time. In the 17th century mining – mostly of brown iron ore – was its most important source of income. At that time, nobleman Fürst Johann Nepomuk Anton von Schwarzenberg, owner of the Murau domain, had a road built from Predlitz up to the Turrach. From the Carinthia side, the Turracher Höhe was accessible only by a narrow mountain pass for a long time.
First houses rise
In the 19th century the first houses were built on the summit and around the lake. They served predominantly as shelters for lumberjacks and miners. As early as 1830 there was an inn on the site of today's "Seewirt" inn.
Summer holidaymakers discover the Turracher Höhe
By the late 19th and early 20th century, hill walkers and summer holidaymakers started to discover the Turracher Höhe. The first hotels were founded like the Hochschober in 1929. The passage from the Carinthia side was expanded between the First and Second World Wars and a bus service was established. However, the steep road could not be navigated by the bus in winter and guests had to accept long marches on foot.
A growing skiing region
After World War II Carinthia was occupied by British soldiers. The first English tourists came to the Turracher Höhe. The first ski lift built at that time was, and is still today, called "Engländerlift" (Englishman's lift).
In 1966, the road from the south, from Carinthia, was repaired and the steepest sections removed. The skiing area expanded over the course of the years, the number of guests grew constantly, just like the number of hotels and holiday accommodations.
Water and energy
It was only in 1957 that the Turracher Höhe was connected to the public power supply network. On the other hand, Lake Turracher See was the first lake in Carinthia to have a ring sewer system installed and to be fully connected to the public sewage network (1967 to 1972). Accordingly, water purity in the lake is very high. However, the drinking water comes from a spring at Lake Grünsee and a spring at the Kornock.
In 1997 a dedicated district heating plant went into operation on the Turracher Höhe. It has been supplying the Hochschober with environmentally friendly energy ever since.
