Rax cable car aims to defend Austria’s beauty title

The Rax cable car will represent Lower Austria in ORF’s 9 Places, 9 Treasures contest on October 26, with the state hoping to win for a second year in a row, ORF reports. The Mariazell Railway won the title in 2025.

The cable car, in Reichenau an der Rax in the district of Neunkirchen, beat the Kamptal and the Mailberg cellar lane in the state selection. It will compete against eight finalists from other Austrian states, with a celebrity jury and viewers voting by phone and text message during the National Day show. Comedian Gery Seidl and NÖ heute presenter Veronika Kaizar will present Lower Austria’s entry, which has starting number 09.

The other finalists are the Andau Bridge in Burgenland, Kufstein Fortress in Tyrol, the Friedenskirche Hochgründeck in Salzburg, Griffner Schlossberg in Carinthia, Riegersburg in Styria, Hutterer Böden in Upper Austria, Türkenschanzpark in Vienna and Tilisuna in Vorarlberg. The show is hosted by Barbara Karlich and Armin Assinger.

The Rax cable car is marking its 100th anniversary this year. It began operating in June 1926 as Austria’s first passenger aerial cableway and helped make mountain tourism accessible to more people. The Rax plateau covers 34 square kilometres and has staffed huts about every hour and a half of walking. Today, the mountain attracts families as well as climbers and mountaineers.