The Ennstal Alps (German ''Ennstaler Alpen''), the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

of the

Enns valley The Enns () is a southern tributary of the river Danube in Austria, joining northward at the city of Enns. It forms much of the border between the states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria. The Enns spans , in a flat-J-shape. It flows from its sou ...

, are a mountain range of the

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (), 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 Germany. The distinction from the ...

System. They are located primarily in the Austrian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

, and also into the state of

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states 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, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

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

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

Geography

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

Liezen Liezen (; Central Bavarian: ''Liezn''; local dialect pronunciation ɪə- 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 ...

, Pyhrn Pass, 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 Traunvie ...

on the west. * Hengst Pass and the Laussabach on the north. * the lineup of the

River Enns The Enns () is a southern tributary of the river Danube in Austria, joining northward at the city of Enns. It forms much of the border between the states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria. The Enns spans , in a flat-J-shape. It flows from its sou ...

(from

Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen () is a municipality in the district of Liezen in the Austrian state of Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styr ...

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 (, local dialect iːɐ̯t͡sn̩ is a d ...

), 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 ...

(from

Leoben Leoben () is a Styrian city in central Austria, located on the Mur River, Mur river. With a population in 2023 of about 25,140 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, ...

Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark is a municipality in the district of Leoben in the Austrian state of Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , St ...

), 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. I ...

(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 at ...

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

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.

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 in Austria, joining northward at the city of Enns. It forms much of the border between the states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria. The Enns spans , in a flat-J-shape. It flows from its sou ...

. The Enns

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing 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 over a ...

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 () 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 valley in the east, from Steyr in the ...

(to the north) *

Ybbstal Alps The Ybbstal Alps () 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 range includes the easter ...

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

Lavanttal Alps The Lavanttal Alps (, ) 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 of Lavanttal and the Lavant River which runs i ...

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

Totes Gebirge The Totes Gebirge, also known in English as the Dead Mountains, is a mountain range in Austria that forms part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is supposedly der ...

(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 midd ...

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

Radmer Radmer is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Austrian state of Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second large ...

, Johnsbach, and St. Gallen. 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 (Enns), Erzbach Valley, dominated on the east by the :de:Pfaffenstein (H ...

External links

Ennstal Alps on kamdoalp.cz - Hikes description, prominent peaks

References

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Alps Northern Limestone Alps Mountain ranges of Styria Mountain ranges of Upper Austria Greywacke zone