Pasterze

Pasterze glacier - darkometer rating : 2 - The (still) largest glacier in Austria , and one of the most scenic glacial tongues in the whole of the Alps. It's possibly a little surprising to find an entry for a glacier here, so here's the explanation: the Pasterze was chosen as a kind of representative for numerous other sites of a similar nature – namely that of the world's glaciers melting as a result of global warming . > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Climate change is one of the most pressing (and equally depressing) as well as the most all-encompassing problems in the world today, one that could quite possibly change the civilized world of humans on this planet for ever. In that way it's probably the potentially "darkest" theme to be entered here of them all. However, most aspects of climate change are either too gradual to be visible, or so temporary (as with storms and floods) that no specific sites could qualify for entry in these dark tourism listings as regular destinations. Glaciers are a notable exception, where the effects of global warming are becoming more and more visible over time. Obviously there are many glaciers ( Switzerland , admittedly, has the very longest and most famous one: the Aletschgletscher) some of which are even more severely affected, but what makes the Pasterze glacier special is a) its accessibility and b) the way its degree of shrinking can be experienced in a "touristy" way: What there is to see: The glacier itself can simply be viewed from the observation decks of the site, or, and this is the special thing: you can first take the funicular down and then walk right to the edge and even onto the glacier itself.