The Schneeberg is one of the Northern Calcareous Alps in the borderland
between Lower Austria and Styria, in the eastern part of Austria. It and
the Rax (2,007 m or 6,585 ft), some 13 km (8.1 mi) to the south-west,
are collectively considered the Viennese Hausberge (local mountains).
The rich Karst plateaux have provided drinking water for Vienna, via a
120 km (75 mi) long pipeline, since 1873, claiming to be the best
drinking water in the world.
On clear days, Schneeberg can be readily
seen from parts of Vienna, some 65 km (40 mi) away (as the crow flies)
and even from Bratislava in Slovakia, together with its snow-fields that
reach down its northern slopes even in summer and provide a challenge
to skiers.
A rack-and-pinion railway, the Schneeberg Railway, now
over 100 years old, climbs to a height of 1,800 m (5,900 ft), reducing
the walk to the summit to an hour or two. There are also a number of
other routes for walkers, including from the spa resort of Puchberg am
Schneeberg to the east, or from the south, in Höllental.
The summit
plateau has a number of mountain huts which are visited by thousands of
walkers, climbers and even mountain-bikers annually
