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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, 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 ...
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 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, 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 (from Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen to Hieflau), 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, ...
to
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 (highest summit: Großer Pyhrgas, 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 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
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
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. ...
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 (to the northeast) * Hochschwab (to the east) * Lavanttal Alps (to the southeast) * Seckauer Tauern (to the south) * Rottenmanner and Wölzer Tauern (to the southwest) * Totes Gebirge (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, Hieflau, and Großreifling. *Settlements in the mountain valleys include: Radmer, Johnsbach, and St. Gallen. Towns in valleys around the perimeter of the range include:
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, ...
, Liezen, and Eisenerz.


See also

* Limestone Alps *


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