Großvenediger () is the main peak of the

Venediger Group The Venediger Group () is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. Together with the Granatspitze Group, the Glockner Group, the Goldberg Group, and the Ankogel Group, it forms the main ridge of the High Tauern. The highest peak is the Groß ...

within the

Hohe Tauern The High Tauern ( pl.; , ) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of Salzburg, Carinthia and East Tyr ...

mountain range, on the border of the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

(

East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (), is an exclave of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, separated from North Tyrol by parts of Salzburg State and parts of Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', ). It is coterminous with the administrative ...

) with

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. It is generally considered to be Austria's fourth highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

(although it can be up to sixteenth if every subsidiary summit is counted). The summit, covered by

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

s, is part of the Hohe Tauern

National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Name

Originally known as ''Stützerkopf'', the name ''Großvenediger'' () is first recorded from a 1797 border survey. The origin of this name is unclear, probably deriving from Venetian merchants on their way over the mountain passes. An alternative theory is that the view from the summit may reach as far as Venice, some away, however, this is not in accordance with the facts. The author and mountaineer Ignaz von Kürsinger (1795–1861), one of the first climbers of the Großvenediger in 1840, coined the

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

''weltalte Majestät'' (World-old Majesty).

Climbing history

Several attempts were made in the early 19th century to reach the Großvenediger summit, after the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the nearby Großglockner in 1800. On 9 August 1828, an expedition of 17 men, including the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

archduke John of Austria Archduke John of Austria (, ; (or simply ''Nadvojvoda Janez''); 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverweser'') of the short-lived German Emp ...

, failed in their attempt to climb Großvenediger due to an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

. It wasn't until 3 September 1841, forty years after the first ascent of the Großglockner, that a team led by Josef Schwab made the first successful attempt on the Großvenediger summit, starting at the northern foot in Neukirchen in 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 (river), Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limeston ...

Valley, climbing up southwards along the Obersulzbach tributary valley and over the Stierlahnerwand. Other members of the team included Ignaz von Kürsinger, Paul Rohregger, Anton von Ruthner and Franz Spitaler. Of the 40 participants, only 26 finally reached the summit, the others having stayed back due to fatigue. Today several

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

s serve as basis for summit ascents, though mountaineering on nival level can be dangerous in view of numerous

crevasse A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rate ...

Main routes to the summit

The Großvenediger can be reached via three different common routes (north, east and south).

Northern Ascent

Of the three different routes, this is the least travelled. Compared to the other two main routes, one starts from the state of Salzburg rather than from Tyrol. The starting point is the Kürsingerhütte and the ascent is from the Sulzau via the Berndlalm and Postalm.

Eastern Ascent

The east ascent takes about eight hours, where one puts about 2,200 vertical meters behind him. Without a break, this could be achieved in around four hours. This is a light- to medium-difficulty high alpine tour. The starting point here is the Matreier Tauernhaus. From there you march on a gravel road to Innergschlöß to the Venedigerhaus (1691 m). After half an hour towards the end of the valley, a steep and very strenuous ascent follows. The route then meanders to the New Prager Hut (2796 m). The route then follows the glacier to the west, where extra caution is required due to the crevasses. The final ascent becomes very steep and the route goes to the summit ridge, which is becoming increasingly narrow.

Southern Ascent

The ascent from the Defreggerhaus is considered one of the easiest, although the risk of crevasses and the narrow ridge crossing to the summit should not be underestimated. Due to the relatively 'easy' ascent, this is the most popular of the three common routes. Starting from the Defreggerhaus, the route goes north along the 'Moränenrückens' up to the 'Mullwitzaderl'. It follows an incline to the 'Rainertörl', continuing south below the Rainerhorn and going a bit steeper to the Rainertörl (3421 m). The way leads to the northwest, slightly rising to the steep ascent of the Venediger and finally reaches the broad shoulder and narrow ridge to the summit. All three climbs on the Großvenediger are technically not difficult, but the higher elements pose a risk, as they lead across a glacier terrain full of crevasses. Depending on the conditions, these are sometimes difficult to recognise and are also a danger in ski tours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossvenediger Alpine three-thousanders Mountains of Salzburg (federal state) Mountains of Tyrol (federal state) Mountains of the Alps Venediger Group