The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

on the main chain of the

Central Eastern Alps The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacen ...

, comprising the highest peaks east of the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...

. The crest forms the southern border of the

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 ...

n states of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...

and

East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It i ...

, with a small part in the southwest belongs to the Italian province of

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

. The range includes Austria's highest mountain, the

Grossglockner The Grossglockner (german: Großglockner ; or just ''Glockner'') is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glo ...

at above the Adriatic. In the east, the range is adjoined by the

Lower Tauern The Lower TauernThe New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 1, 2003, p. 86. or Niedere Tauern () are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, in the Austrian states of Salzburg and Styria. For the etymology of the name, see Tauern. Geography ...

. For the

etymology Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...

of the name, see

Tauern The word ''Tauern'' () is German and originally meant 'high mountain pass' in the Austrian Central Alps, referring to the many bridleways and passes of the parallel side valleys of the River Salzach that cut into the mountain ranges. From the Mi ...

Geography

According to the

Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps The Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (german: Alpenvereinseinteilung der Ostalpen, AVE) is a common division of the Eastern Alps into 75 mountain ranges, based on the Moriggl Classification (ME) first published in 1924 by the German ...

, the range is bounded by the

Salzach The Salzach (Austrian: �saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central ...

valley to the north (separating it from the Kitzbühel Alps), the Mur valley and the Murtörl Pass to the east (separating it from the

), the

Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...

valley to the south (separating it from the

Southern Limestone Alps The Southern Limestone Alps ( it, Alpi Sud-orientali, german: Südliche Kalkalpen), also called the Southern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacen ...

), and the Birnlücke Pass to the west (separating it from the Zillertal Alps). Its most important subgroups along the Alpine crest are (from West to East): Hohe Tauern 2

* Venediger Group (including Grossvenediger, , and

Lasörling The Lasörling is a mountain, , and the highest summit in the eponymous range that stretches from the Virgental to the Defereggental valleys opposite the Großvenediger. Occasionally the mountain is also called the "''Großer'' Lasörling" (" ...

, ) *

Granatspitze Group The Granatspitze Group (german: Granatspitzgruppe), sometimes also the Granatspitz Group, is a sub-group of the Central Alps within the Eastern Alps. Together with the Ankogel Group, the Goldberg Group, the Glockner Group, the Schober Group, ...

( Großer Muntanitz, , and Granatspitze, ) *

Glockner Group The Glockner Group Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, p.409, . (german: Glocknergruppe) is a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps in the Eastern Alps, and is located in the centre section of the High ...

(

, ) * Goldberg Group (

Hoher Sonnblick The Hoher Sonnblick (also ''Rauriser Sonnblick'') is a glaciated mountain, high, on the main Alpine chain in the Goldberg Group on the border between the Austrian states of Carinthia and Salzburg. At its summit is the Sonnblick Observatory a ...

, ) * Ankogel Group ( Hochalmspitze, , Ankogel, ) and

Reisseck Group The Reisseck Group or Reißeck Group (german: Reißeckgruppe) is a small mountain sub-range in the Austrian state of Carinthia. As the southern part of the Ankogel Group, it belongs to the High Tauern range of the Central Eastern Alps. Geography ...

( Reisseck, ) The eastern end of the High Tauern is formed by the Hafner massif of the Ankogel Group, which includes the easternmost

three-thousander Three-thousanders are mountains with a height of between , but less than above sea level. Similar terms are commonly used for mountains of other height brackets e. g. four-thousanders or eight-thousanders. In Britain, the term may refer to mo ...

peaks in the Alpine chain. Further parts of the High Tauern south of the main crest of the Alps are (from West to East): * Rieserferner Group (

Hochgall The Hochgall is a mountain of the Rieserferner group in the High Tauern. the summit is in South Tyrol, Italy, just 500 m from the Austrian border. Climbing history For the Austrian land survey of 1853-1854, Hermann van Acken and guides/helpers ...

, ) *

Villgraten Mountains The Villgraten Mountains (german: Villgratner Berge) or Deferegg Alps (''Deferegger Alpen''), also called the Defreggen Mountains (''Defreggengebirge'', archaically also with ''"ff"'') are a subgroup of the Austrian Central Alps within the Eastern ...

( Weiße Spitze, ) * Schober Group (including the

Petzeck Petzeck (3,283m) is the highest mountain of the Schober Group in the High Tauern range, Austria. The mountain has a 1,000m high north face but its southern slope is more gentle, with lakes such as Kreuzsee and Wangenitzsee on its slopes. Its s ...

, and

Hochschober The Hochschober () is the mountain that gives its name to the Schober Group in the High Tauern, although the summit is only the fourth highest in the group. This may have arisen because the north face of the mountain is an impressive sight from ...

, ) * Kreuzeck Group ( Mölltaler Polinik, )

High Tauern National Park

Along of the main chain stretches the High Tauern National Park (''Nationalpark Hohe Tauern''), to which the

Austrian Alpine Club The Austrian Alpine Club (german: Österreichischer Alpenverein) has about 573,000 members in 196 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbo ...

as freeholder and the three states of Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol have contributed territory. With an area of about , it is by far the largest of Austria's seven

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

s as well as the largest nature reserve in the Alps.''The largest nature reserve of the Alps ...''
at www.hohetauern.at. Accessed on 10 Jul 2011. It is divided into a core zone of including the Grossglockner and Grossvenediger massifs, with complete prohibition of agricultural use, and a fringe zone of used for

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

and alpine-meadow farming. Five special nature sanctuaries are protected from any human disturbance. The park of the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

II category comprises the Pasterze and numerous further

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s, the Krimml Waterfalls, several glacial valleys and

alluvial fan An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...

s, as well as extended

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...

areas and forests. Among the

flora of the Alps __NOTOC__ The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe stretching approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries from Austria and Slovenia in the east, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France to th ...

, especially Swiss Pines grow along the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

; above subshrub, mainly alpenrose but also the

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

'' Saxifraga rudolphiana'', up to nival level at about 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The fauna includes

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the R ...

Alpine ibex The Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species: males are larger and carry longer, curved ...

and

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

, as well as griffon vulture and the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird ...

. The formerly extinct bearded vulture and the

Alpine marmot The alpine marmot (''Marmota marmota'') is a large ground-dwelling squirrel, from the genus of marmots. It is found in high numbers in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, at heights between in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras and No ...

have been successfully reintroduced. The park was established according to a 1971 declaration signed by the participating states at Heiligenblut, it nevertheless took until 1981, when the first parts around Großglockner and Hochschober in Carinthia were put under protection. The adjacel finally joined in 1992. Touriut has become less harmful to the environment. A particular emphasis is pution and the maintenance of traditional ways of life in the Alps.

Peaks

The main peaks of the High Tauern are:

Tunnels and passes

The High Tauern are crossed by three tunnels: *Tauern Railway Tunnel between Bad Gastein and Mallnitz, finished in 1906 *Katschberg Pass, Katschberg Tunnel on ''A10'' Tauern Autobahn (European route E55) leading from Sankt Michael im Lungau and the

Tauern Road Tunnel The Tauern Road Tunnel is located on the Tauern Autobahn (A10) in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. The use is subject to a toll. With a length of (4.07 miles), the tunnel ranks as one of the longest frequently-travelled road tunnels in Au ...

to Rennweg *Felbertauerntunnel on ''B108'' Felbertauern Straße highway, between Mittersill and Matrei in Osttirol The best-known mountain pass road of the High Tauern is the scenic

Grossglockner High Alpine Road The Grossglockner High Alpine Road (in German ''Großglockner Hochalpenstraße'') is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria. It connects Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße, Bruck in the state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg with Heilige ...

inaugurated in 1935, including a tunnel at an elevation of under the Hochtor Pass (). East of it, the

Katschberg Pass Katschberg Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the Central Eastern Alps in Austria between Rennweg am Katschberg in the state of Carinthia and Sankt Michael im Lungau in Salzburg. Geography It connects the Carinthian Katsch Valley in the s ...

() on ''B 99'' Katschberg Straße highway parallel to the Katschberg Tunnel links Sankt Michael and Rennweg. Another road crosses the Staller Sattel between

Sankt Jakob in Defereggen Sankt Jakob in Defereggen ( Southern Bavarian: ''St. Jakoub in Dejfreggin'') is a municipality in the district of Lienz in the Austrian state of Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region i ...

and Rasen-Antholz at . Beside there are numerous bridle and footpaths, in part used since ancient times:

References

External links