, photo=HochtorOedsteinGroup FromS HoherZinken.jpg , photo_caption=Hochtor - Ödstein Group (Gesäuse) (from right to left) as seen from Hoher Zinken in the south , country=

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, subdivision1_type=States , subdivision1= , parent=

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germa ...

, length_mi= , length_orientation= , width_mi= , width_orientation= , geology= , orogeny= , highest=

Hochtor Hochtor, at , is the highest mountain in the Ennstaler Alps, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, in Styria, Austria. The mountain is protected as part of Gesäuse National Park, the third largest in Austria. Gallery image:Hochtor.JPG, Hochto ...

, elevation_m=2369 , coordinates= , range_coordinates= , map_image=Alps location map (Ennstaler Alpen, AVE).png , map_caption=Ennstal Alps (in red) within the Alps.
The borders of the range according to
Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps The Ennstal Alps (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Ennstaler Alpen''), the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

of the Enns valley, are a mountain range of the

System. They are located primarily in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Styria, and also into the state of

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

. The most famous scenery in the Ennstal Alps is the Gesäuse, a valley where the Enns river cuts through the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

Geography

The Ennstal Alps range is defined by: * the lineup of

Liezen Liezen (Central Bavarian: ''Liezn'') is a municipality in the Austrian federal state of Styria, district capital of the district of the same name and economic center on the River Enns. Population Politics Since 1995, the left-wing SPÖ party ...

Pyhrn Pass Pyhrn Pass is a mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between the Austrian states of Upper Austria and Styria. It connects Warscheneck and Bosruck and is at an elevation of . The pass road (B 138) has a maximum grade of 10 percent. Since the mi ...

, and

Windischgarsten Windischgarsten is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Since 1964, the town has been classified as a Luftkurort, a mountain spa town. Geography Windischgarsten lies in the Traunvier ...

on the west. * Hengst Pass and the Laussabach on the north. * the lineup of the River Enns (from

Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen is a municipality in the district of Liezen in the Austrian state of Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. ...

Hieflau Hieflau is a former municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Landl, in the Liezen District Bezirk Liezen is a district of the state of Styria in ...

), Erzbach, and Vordernbergerbach on the east * the lineup of the

Mur river The Mur () or Mura (; ; ; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Müra''Novak, Vilko. 2006. ''Slovar stare knjižne prekmurščine''. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, pp. 262, 269. or ''Möra'') is a river in Central Europe rising in the Hohe Tauern national park of th ...

(from

Leoben Leoben () is a Styrian city in central Austria, located on the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, an armistice bet ...

to Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark), Liesing, and Palten on the south

Peaks + mountain groups

Mountain groups that are part of the Ennstal Alps include: *

Haller Mauern The Haller Mauern is a small mountain chain, part of the larger Northern Limestone Alps. The western buttress of the main ridge is formed by the 2,244 m high Großer Pyhrgas. This mountain is also the highest peak in the Haller Mauern. ...

(highest summit:

Großer Pyhrgas The Große Pyhrgas is a mountain in the Ennstal Alps on the border between Upper Austria and Styria. At a height of it is the highest summit and western buttress of the Haller Mauern range. Alpine hut A mountain hut is a building located hig ...

, 2,244 m) * Gesäuse Mountains, including the Buchstein Group (2,224 m), Reichenstein Group (2.251 m) and Hochtor Group (

, 2,369 m) and the Lugauer (2,217 m). *

Eisenerzer Reichenstein The Eisenerzer Reichenstein is a mountain in the Ennstal Alps in the Austrian federal state of Styria. It lies south of the Erzberg near Eisenerz. Eisenerzer Reichenstein von Eisenerz.jpg, Eisenerzer Reichenstein from Eisenerz Eisenerz (6). ...

2,165 m (Eisenerz Alps), with the preceding massifs of Reiting (including the Gößeck its main summit, 2,214 m) (in the south) and the Kaiserschild (2,105 m) in the north. Pano südlGesäuseBerge

Gesäuse − Enns river valley

The Ennstal Alps range is pierced in the north by the

Enns river The Enns (, ) is a southern tributary of the river Danube, joining northward at Enns, Austria. The Enns spans , in a flat-J-shape. It flows from its source near the village Flachau, generally eastward through Radstadt, Schladming, and Liezen, ...

. The Enns

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ...

name in German is ''Gesäuse''. The valley is accompanied by the only roads and railway lines that run through the Ennstal Alps.

Adjacent mountain ranges

Other

mountain ranges that border on the Ennstal Alps include: *

Upper Austrian Prealps The Upper Austrian Prealps (german: Oberösterreichische Voralpen) is a mountain range in Austria which, according to the Categorisation of the Eastern Alps, covers the region between the valley of the Traun (Gmunden) in the west and the Enns va ...

(to the north) *

Ybbstal Alps The Ybbstal Alps (german: Ybbstaler Alpen) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps and part of the Eastern Alps, located in Austria. They occupy an area along the borders of the states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria. The r ...

(to the northeast) * Hochschwab (to the east) *

Lavanttal Alps The Lavanttal Alps (german: Lavanttaler Alpen, sl, Labotniške Alpe) are part of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria and Slovenia, between the river Mur in the north and the Drava in the south. The mountains are named after the central valley o ...

(to the southeast) * Seckauer Tauern (to the south) * Rottenmanner and Wölzer Tauern (to the southwest) *

Totes Gebirge The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is derived from the German words ''tot'' meaning "dead", referring to ...

(to the west)

Settlements

Settlement within the range is restricted to the '' Gesäuse'' and several mountain valleys. *The main villages within the ''Gesäuse'' are

Admont Admont is a town in the Austrian state of Styria. It is historically most notable for Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074. Gesäuse National Park, in which Admont lies, is an area of outstanding beauty. The town is situated in the middle of ...

, and Großreifling. *Settlements in the mountain valleys include:

Radmer Radmer is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine ...

, Johnsbach, and

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website = ...

. Towns in valleys around the perimeter of the range include:

, and

Eisenerz Eisenerz (; "Iron ore") is a market place and old mining town in the Austrian state of Styria, . N.W. of Graz by rail. Pop. (2001) 6,400. It is situated in the deep Erzbach Valley, dominated on the east by the Pfaffenstein , on the west by t ...

References