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