Erlauf Valley

The valleys of the Grosse and Kleine Erlauf were originally opened up by Carthusian monks from Gaming, providing access for the charcoal burners and workers in the hammer mills. The Erlaufsee, on the border with Styria near the source of the Erlauf, is the largest Alpine lake in Lower Austria. Farther down the valley the stream has cut a wildly romantic gorge through the limestone rocks.