The mountainous part of Austria is amazingly beautiful. It is distinguished by its abundance of clean fresh water, concentrated not only in glaciers and rivers, but also in numerous azure alpine lakes.
You can find out about this fabulously beautiful country, about what mountains are located in Austria, how they are 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 bit about Austria
Before we find out the name of the mountains in Austria, find out their features, consider information on the general geographical position of this state.
Austria is located in Central Europe. Its area is 83 859 square meters. km, including natural reservoirs occupy about 1,120 square meters. km., and mountains - almost 70% of the total territory.
Austria borders Switzerland with 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 fascinate 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 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, 1/4 of the state’s territory is occupied by folded-block young ranges of the Eastern Alps, uniting into sub-latitudinal chains. The axial zone of mountains with a mountain-glacial relief rises in the west to an altitude of 3500 meters (Grossglockner - 3798 m), and in the east a little lower - up to 2400 meters. The border of snow cover is on average located at an altitude of up to 2800 meters.
Some peaks of Austria have glaciers (for example, Pasterze, whose total length is 9 km). The southern and northern axial chains of the Eastern Alps are surrounded by lower ridges, which are characterized by a large steepness of slopes, dissection and strong development of karsts. In the north along the Alps on the periphery flysch low mountains prevail.
Within Austria, the Eastern Alps are mainly characterized by large valleys (rivers Enns, Salzkh, Inn, etc.), and the eastern foothills are represented by hollows (Klagenfurt, Graz, etc.).
In the eastern part of the state is a hilly Styrian-Burgenland plain (part of the Middle Danube), descending to the Vienna Basin. In the northern and eastern parts there are hilly low mountains Waldviertel, Murviertel, Weinviertel and others. Between them and the Eastern Alps there is a flat strip with tiers of terraces of the Danube River.
Pass and mountain Gerlospass
The mountains of Austria are absolutely magnificent, but Gerlospass is considered one of the main attractions of Salzburg . From the height of a huge mountain (1500 meters), a magnificent view of the national park of the city opens.
This is a great place to relax. Here you can visit a small cozy restaurant. Moreover, it can be accommodated directly in the open air, combining meals with an overview of picturesque Austrian landscapes. You can use the cable car, built in 2010.
Cycling around the area is especially popular with locals. After all, a walk along the mountain is a great benefit from surprisingly clean air and a kind of training (endurance test).
Mount Kapuzinerberg
The mountains of Austria contain many interesting historical facts. This vertex is not an exception. It rises at 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, on the top of the hill is a monastery of the Catholic Order of the Capuchins, built in the 16th-17th centuries on the orders of Wolf Dietrich von Reitenau (Bishop). It operates to this day.
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 by order of A. Hitler, who wanted to build a stadium in this place, but his plans were not realized. Since 1945, life in the monastery flowed in the usual way.
On the Kapuzinerberg hill there are other no less interesting historical sites: a dilapidated fortress wall (now it has a restaurant); the house in which Stefan Zweig lived in the 30s, etc.
Mount menhsberg
Mönschberg, like other mountains in Austria, has a small height of 540 meters. This is one of the 5 peaks located in Salzburg. It separates the modern part of the city from the old (left bank of the Salzach river).
The mountain on one side is covered with forest, on the other, it hangs with its rocky side above the very road. This is one of the most popular places for walking with the townspeople, all the more so climbing for any person is quite accessible to it (there is an elevator). It offers an amazing panorama of the city. It should be noted that the tunnel, broken into the rock in 1767, is one of the oldest in Europe.
And on Mengsberg there are several interesting structures: a small castle Johanneschloss (part of the monastery of the XIV century); a small castle Marketdershloss (in the Middle Ages there were barracks, now a training center); Schloss Menchstein (formerly the building of the University of Salzburg, now a hotel); Museum of Modern Art (in operation since 2004). Thanks not only to its natural beauty, but also to similar historical sights, Austria attracts attention.
Mount Grossglockner
The highest in Austria is Grossglockner - a mountain that rises to 3798 meters above sea level. sea and located between Tyrol and Carinthia. At its foot lies the largest Pasterce glacier, whose length is 9 kilometers.
The no less remarkable panoramic road Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse leads to this amazingly beautiful place. Opened it in 1935. Since then, the highest mountain in Austria has been accessible to many tourists who want to visit it.
She is also curious about the history of construction.
The economic crisis after World War I 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 of a quarter of production.
Then a high mountain road was designed, which was supposed to give work to many unemployed and provide state revenue from tolls on it.
A little bit about vegetation
Austria, mountains, Alps are inseparable. 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 today surprisingly variegated vegetation of these places. Especially the lower zone (up to about 1000 meters) is quite diverse both in the plant world and in its climate. The conditions of this part of the Alps are close to the conditions of the plains adjacent to it. The southern part is influenced by the Mediterranean, and therefore subtropical species of vegetation are found here.
The western part includes oak, beech and chestnut forests (on the slopes), the northern part - mixed forests on podzolic soils, and the eastern one is forest-steppe. This lower belt, the most populated by vegetation, which has greatly changed its natural vegetation cover, is called the Alps cultural belt.
Conclusion
An interesting historical basis is the name of the mountains in Austria. Each of them is associated with any specific historical events or famous names.
The Austrian Alps are fabulously beautiful 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, on the Danube, the water surface level sometimes rises to 8–9 meters.