About Jungfernsprung Waterfall
The Jungfernsprung Waterfall was another one of the roadside waterfalls along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, but this particular one happened to be signposted with a car park and a cafe. This was where the Zopenitzenbach plunged straight down over a 130m cliff.
I found it interesting that there was some Slovenian heritage regarding this waterfall because the name of the creek came from the Slovenian word “zopenitzen” meaning “waterfall stream”. Meanwhile, the word “Jungfernsprung” meant “Maiden’s Leap”. Legend had it that a beautiful dairymaid lived near here and was woo’ed by all the young men in the area. However, the Devil tried to disguise himself as a handsome man and stalked her. The maiden caught onto his plot and tried to run from him, eventually leaping off the cliff by the waterfall. Amazingly, she survived unhurt and thus the waterfall was so named.
Even though there was a circular trail leading closer to the base of the waterfall (said to require at least an hour), I was actually quite content to view the falls from the far northern end of the car park, which yielded a direct view of the waterfall itself as well as the cascades below it. So I can’t say any more about what that trail was like.
There was also an elevated viewing platform closer to the Hexenkuchl (Witches Kitchen), where there were interpretive signs as well as a wooden carving of the namesake maiden herself. However, I felt the view from here wasn’t as good given the angle of the line-of-sight to the falls.
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Jungfernsprung (Austria) May 13, 2011 7:12 pm - The Jungfernsprung is located in a stunning valley near the village of Heiligenblut in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. The fall drops 130m and can be easily viewed from the road. There is a trail through the forest to the base. The falls name comes from a local legend which tells of a… ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
