The mountainous part of Austria is amazingly beautiful. It is distinguished by an abundance of the purest fresh waters, concentrated not only in glaciers and rivers, but also in numerous azure alpine lakes.
You can learn about this fabulously beautiful country, about what mountains are located in Austria, what makes them remarkable by reading this article.
There are many amazing places in Austria, stunning with their unimaginable beauty. This is especially true of its many mountains. Below will be presented the most remarkable of the peaks, attracting the attention of a huge number of tourists and travelers from all over the world.
A little about Austria
Before we find out the name of the mountains in Austria, let's find out their features, consider information about the general geographical location of this state.
Austria is located in Central Europe. Its area is 83,859 sq. km, including natural reservoirs occupy about 1,120 sq. km., and mountains - almost 70% of the total territory.
Austria borders onSwitzerland and Liechtenstein in the western part; in the north with Germany and the Czech Republic; in the east with Hungary and Slovakia; in the south with Italy and Slovenia. The total length of the borders is 2,563 kilometers.
The magnificent natural landscapes of Austria enchant tourists and travelers. And mountains play an important role in this, among which is the highest mountain in Austria called Grossglockner (its height is 3,798 meters above sea level).
Next, we will describe in more detail some of the most remarkable peaks.
Mountains of Austria: general information
According to the map, made on the basis of satellite images, it is clear that 1/4 of the territory of the state is occupied by folded-blocky young ridges of the Eastern Alps, combined into sublatitudinal chains. The axial zone of mountains with a relief of a mountain-glacial form rises in the west to a height of 3500 meters (Grossglockner - 3798 m), and in the east a little lower - up to 2400 meters. The snow cover border is on average located at an altitude of up to 2800 meters.
Some peaks of Austria have glaciers (eg Pasterze, which is 9 km long in total). The southern and northern axial chains of the Eastern Alps are surrounded by lower ridges, which are distinguished by their steep slopes, dissection, and strong development of karsts. Flysch lowlands dominate in the north along the Alps along the periphery.
Within Austria, the Eastern Alps are characterized mainly by large valleys (the rivers Enns, Salzh, Inn, etc.), and the eastern foothills are represented by basins (Klagenfurt, Graz andetc.).
In the eastern part of the territory of the state there is a hilly Styrian-Burgenland plain (part of the Middle Danube), descending to the Vienna basin. In the northern and eastern parts are the hilly lowlands of the Waldviertel, Murviertel, Weinviertel, etc. Between them and the Eastern Alps there is a flat strip with tiers of terraces of the Danube River.
Pass and mountain Gerlospass
Mountains of Austria are absolutely magnificent, but one of the main attractions of Salzburg is Gerlospass. From the height of a huge mountain (1500 meters) offers a magnificent view of the city's national park.
This is a great place to relax. Here you can also visit a small cozy restaurant. Moreover, you can stay in it right in the open air, combining a meal with an overview of the picturesque Austrian landscapes. You can also use the cable car, built in 2010.
Among the locals, cycling around the neighborhood is especially popular in these places. After all, a walk on the mountain is a great benefit from amazingly clean air and a kind of training (endurance test).
Mount Kapuzinerberg
Mountains of Austria keep a lot of interesting historical facts. This summit is no exception. It rises 640 meters above sea level and is located on the eastern bank of the river. Salzach. Opposite the mountain is the Salzburg Museum.
In addition, there is a monastery on the top of the hillCatholic order of the Capuchins, built in the XVI-XVII centuries by order of Wolf Dietrich von Reitenau (bishop). It is still active today.
Only the monastery church is open for tourists, where services are regularly held. It is noteworthy that the monks left the monastery only in 1938 on the orders of A. Hitler, who wanted to build a stadium on this site, but his plans did not materialize. Since 1945, life in the monastery has flowed in the usual way.
On the Kapuzinerberg hill there are other equally interesting historical sites: a dilapidated fortress wall (now there is a restaurant in it); the house where Stefan Zweig lived in the 30s, etc.
Monchsberg Mountain
Menchsberg, like other mountains of Austria, has a small height - 540 meters. This is one of the 5 peaks located in Salzburg. It separates the modern part of the city from the old one (left bank of the Salzach River).
The mountain is covered with forest on one side, on the other hand it hangs over the road itself with its rocky side. This is one of the most popular places for walking among the townspeople, especially since climbing is quite accessible for any person (there is an elevator). It offers a stunning panorama of the city. It should be noted that the tunnel, cut into the rock back in 1767, is one of the oldest in Europe.
And on the Mönchsberg there are several interesting buildings: the small castle of Johaneschloss (part of the monastery of the XIV century); the small castle of Marketenderschloss (in the Middle Ages there were barracks, now a training center); Schloss Menchstein (former CorpsUniversity of Salzburg, now a hotel); Museum of Modern Art (in operation since 2004). Thanks to not only natural beauty, but also similar historical sights, Austria attracts attention.
Mount Grossglockner
The highest in Austria is Grossglockner - a mountain rising up to 3798 meters above sea level. sea and located between Tyrol and Carinthia. At its foot lies the largest Pasterze glacier, the length of which is 9 kilometers.
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse leads to this amazingly beautiful place. It was opened in 1935. Since then, the highest mountain in Austria has been accessible to many tourists who want to visit it.
The history of construction is also curious.
The economic crisis after the 1st World War and the growth of national conflicts led to the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria at that time lost the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and so on. The result was inflation, the loss of international markets, a drop in output by a quarter.
Then the high- altitude road was designed, which was supposed to give work to the numerous unemployed and provide state income from tolls on it.
A little about vegetation
Austria, mountains, Alps are inseparable. The Alps are considered a forest region.
The result of peculiar natural conditions and rather profound changes in these conditions under the influence of man is todayamazingly variegated vegetation of these places. Especially the lower belt (up to about 1000 meters) is quite diverse both in terms of flora and climate. The conditions of this part of the Alps are close to those of the plains adjacent to it. The southern part is under the influence of the Mediterranean, and therefore there are subtropical vegetation types.
The western part includes oak, beech and chestnut forests (on the slopes), the northern part includes mixed forests on podzolic soils, and the eastern part is forest-steppe. This most vegetated lower belt, which has greatly changed its natural vegetation cover, is called the cultural belt of the Alps.
Conclusion
A curious historical basis has the name of the mountains in Austria. Each of them is associated with some specific historical events or famous names.
Fabulously beautiful Austrian Alps with magnificent flower meadows, green forests and blue glaciers and snows. In the hottest months of summer, especially rapid melting of mountain snows begins here, which contributes to the occurrence of large floods. Thanks to them, the Danube water surface sometimes rises to 8-9 meters.
