Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
5 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
6 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
7 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Austria Linz Grottenbahn

Grottenbahn

Ride a dragon train into a world of dwarves.

Linz, Austria

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/computix/1719...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/computix/1719...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gro...
Ratty Cat Taxidermy   http://lemontree.typepad.com/a_lemon_tree_...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category...
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnal/28330870...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnal/28339300...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnal/28330774...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/salomaonunes/...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/currybet/2875...
Entrance   kpryzk / Atlas Obscura User
Little nightmare friends   kpryzk / Atlas Obscura User
Truly this is one of the weirdest things I’ve let Atlas Obscura talk me into, and I loved every moment.   kpryzk / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Advertised as a nostalgic ride for grown-up Austrians, the Linz Grottobahn is a surreal 104-year-old Disney-esque ride through the world of European fairy tales.

Built in 1906, the little Grottobahn or "cave train" takes you on a trip through Mount Storm into a world of dwarves, dragons, and - in the words of one visitor - "Christmassy-sounding music sung by spookily voiced children." The train goes around the circuit three times, first showing off one set of tableaux such as "gnomes and dwarves fishing, getting into scrapes with giant insects, larking about, and generally acting like you'd expect monstrous-looking garden gnomes to behave." On the second trip around, visitors are offered other set-ups, including some delightfully tatty - and quite possibly century-old - taxidermy.

Finally, on the third trip, colorful lights are turned on, and at the end of the ride the Dragon, which serves as the head of the train, snorts steam. Downstairs, below the train ride, is a miniature version of Linz circa 1900, as well as a number of fairy-tale dioramas, including Sleeping Beauty in a coffin surrounded by the seven dwarfs and a rather creepy diorama of Hansel and Gretel outside a burning gingerbread house.

Related Tags

Follies And Grottoes

Community Contributors

Edited By

elblacula, mbison, kpryzk

  • elblacula
  • mbison
  • kpryzk

Published

February 14, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://lemontree.typepad.com/a_lemon_tree_of_our_own/2006/11/linzs_fairytale.html
  • http://www.oberoesterreich.at/grottenbahn/
Grottenbahn
Am Pöstlingberg 16
Linz, 4040
Austria
48.324186, 14.256177
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dasparkhotel

Ottensheim, Austria

miles away

St. Florian Ossuary

Gemeinde Sankt Florian, Austria

miles away

Stargate Kappern

Kappern, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Austria

Austria

Europe

Places 146
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Dasparkhotel

Ottensheim, Austria

miles away

St. Florian Ossuary

Gemeinde Sankt Florian, Austria

miles away

Stargate Kappern

Kappern, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Austria

Austria

Europe

Places 146
Stories 13

Related Stories and Lists

13 Surprising Places to Find Taxidermy

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

Related Places

  • An owl made out of shells inside the Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage.

    Newchapel, Wales

    Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage

    This magical grotto is adorned with a complex pattern of native seashells, minerals, and fragments of colored glass.

  • White conical shaped structure with a black bulb-like pinnacle with clouds in the background.

    Bollington, England

    White Nancy

    A strange Georgian folly sits atop a lonely hill.

  • The elaborate top of the tower.

    Halifax, England

    Wainhouse Tower

    This tallest folly in the world began its life as an elaborate factory chimney.

  • Iulia Hasdeu Castle.

    Câmpina, Romania

    Iulia Hasdeu Castle

    This eccentric folly house was designed by Romanian thinker Bogdan-Petriceicu Hasdeu, with a helping hand from his deceased daughter's spirit.

  • Wonder Cave Entrance.

    Rudolph, Wisconsin

    Rudolph Grotto Gardens

    Five acres of divinely inspired folk art.

  • Lyford’s Tower with Angel Island in the background

    Belvedere Tiburon, California

    Lyford's Tower

    Once the gateway to the utopian dream-village of a Civil War embalmer.

  • Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom

    Godalming, England

    Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom

    The hidden "ballroom" under a mansion lake was built by a criminal who ate a cyanide pill during his trial.

  • Mow Cop Castle

    Mow Cop, England

    Mow Cop Castle

    This crumbling folly looks like an enchanted left over from Middle Earth.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.