Werfen Attractions

The old market town of Werfen lies in the Salzach valley on the important route from Salzburg to East Tirol, the Grossglockner and Carinthia. Popular with tourists in summer and winter, Werfen is the starting point for a visit to the magnificent ice caves in the Tennengebirge, to the northeast of the town. The Hauptplatz lies in the center of town, and to the west of it stands the parish church (mid 17th C.). On a wooded crag above the town to the north looms Burg Hohenwerfen (680m/2,230ft). Originally built by Archbishop Gebhard in 1077, the castle was strengthened in later periods and rebuilt in its present form in the 16th C. After a fire in 1931 it was thoroughly restored and renovated, and now houses a youth hostel and a police school. There are a number of excursions and mountain walks to be made from Werfen. In winter the Salzburg ski slopes are readily accessible.