Rosengartenschlucht in Imst (Gorge)

Interesting is the way from the Johanneskirche in the city center to the gorge, because the houses along the Rosengartlweg are partially built into the rock of the mountain. The entrance to the protected part of the gorge is located at the Schinderloch. Over a length of about 1.5 km, the Schinderbach has deeply carved into the mountain ridge, making several million years of geological history visible not only to geologists.

One cannot escape the beauty of the Rosengartenschlucht: not only the geological features are fascinating, but also the richness of plants, animals, and stones is astonishing. Due to the special, moist and cool climate in the gorge, alpine flowers thrive here, such as the alpine rose, far below their actual habitat. Many rare animals, such as wallcreepers and mountain wagtails, or numerous species of spiders, can also be discovered in the gorge.

The varied path leads along the wildly rushing stream, over stairs, steps, bridges, and through short tunnels to the Blaue Grotte. It owes its name to the fascinating play of colors that light and water create on the rock. However, the grotto with its two waterfalls is not of natural origin, but was created by silver mining. Silver was already mined here during Roman times, and it is likely that the so-called fire-setting method was soon used. This technique makes the rock brittle by heating it, making it easier to mine. The Blue Grotto owes its shape to this special technique. Several tunnel entrances are still visible as well.

The gorge path ends in Hoch Imst. Here, you can connect to a ride on the spectacular Alpine Coaster, the longest alpine roller coaster in the world. The return to the valley leads over the Wetterkreuz, from where you can enjoy a magnificent view over Imst. Then you come to the Laurentiuskirche, the oldest church in Imst. The archaeological finds date back to the 5th century. Finally, you reach the starting point again at the Johanneskirche via the Kalvarienberg.

The Rosengartenschlucht is freely accessible from May to October. The geological tours offered in the summer months by appointment are highly interesting.