Lechquellen Mountains
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Lechquellen Mountains () or Lechquellen range is a small mountain group within 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 ...
of the
Eastern Alps The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Main chain of the Alps, Alpine divide, and down the Liro (Como), Liro River to Lake Como in the south. ...
. It lies entirely within 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
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
and includes the upper reaches of the river
Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...
with its headstreams in a horseshoe shape as well as the Upper Großwalsertal valley.


Origin of the name

The name ''Lechquellengebirge'' (literally "Lech source mountains") is certainly accurate, for the greater part of the mountain range surrounds the upper reaches of the Lech with its two spring-fed streams, the Formarinbach and the Spullerbach. Nevertheless, it is in fact an artificial name made up by Walther Flaig at a time when the development of mountaineering in the Alps had been largely completed. Previously, the mountain range had been called either the Klostertal Alps or counted as part of the Lechtal Alps east of the Flexen Pass. Artificial names often find it hard to establish themselves in everyday language. By contrast, there are Alpine groups named after placenames that go back centuries or even millennia, such as the Raetikon or the neighbouring Verwall. Others are named after valleys that have been referred to by the same name from time immemorial, such as the
Ötztal Alps The Ötztal Alps (, ) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the Tyrol (state), State of Tyrol in western Austria and the South Tyrol, Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. Geography The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at the head of ...
. It will take decades to determine whether the name of the Lechquellen Mountains has prevailed as naturally as the name of other Alpine groups. It is also unclear whether the
UIAA The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, commonly known by its French name Union internationale des associations d'alpinisme (UIAA; ), was founded in August 1932 in Chamonix, France when 20 mountaineering associations met for ...
or even the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
will work out and lay down an internationally recognized classification of the Alps. If they do, then the Lechquellen Mountains will either be officially recognised or absorbed into other groups.


Extent

The southern boundary of Lechquellen Mountains runs from the alpine town of
Bludenz Bludenz (; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ''Bludaz'') is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg with around 15,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of Vorarlberg's territ ...
along the
Klostertal The Klostertal, , is an alpine valley in Vorarlberg, in Austria. It branches off at Bludenz and extends about to the east to the Arlberg and the border with Tyrol. It consists of the three communities of Klösterle am Arlberg, Dalaas and In ...
to the
Flexen Pass Flexen Pass is a high mountain pass in the Austrian Alps in the '' Bundesland'' of Vorarlberg. It is at an elevation of . It connects the upper Lech valley between Warth, Lech, and Zürs with the Klostertal near Stuben. The pass road was bu ...
. From there, it continues in the east via
Zürs Zürs (1716 meters above sea level) is one of the most renowned winter sports resorts in the Alps. Located in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, almost directly on the border to North Tyrol, near the Flexenpass, Zürs is part of the A ...
and
Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...
and along the Lech to its confluence with the Krumbach. The Krumbach forms the boundary of the range in the north up to the
Hochtann Mountain Pass Hochtann Mountain Pass (, ) is a mountain pass in the Austrian Alps in the '' Bundesland'' of Vorarlberg. It connects Warth in the Lech Valley to the east with the valley of the Bregenzer Ach near Schoppernau to the west. It is traversed by t ...
. From there, it runs along the Seebach via the village of
Schröcken Schröcken is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Geography Schröcken is in the Austrian Alps, at an altitude of 1,269 meters. 12.4% of the area are forested, 39.4% Alpine area. History ...
and continues along the
Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest () in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance and the River Rhine, respectively. Geography The source of the river is above ...
stream up to Au and its confluence with the Argenbach. Then it goes up the Argenbach until just before Damuels and continues along the Faschinabach in the west to the Faschinajoch saddle. From there it descends into the Große Walsertal and along the Lutz to its confluence with the Ill. It then follows the Ill back to Bluden

The Flexen Pass connects the Lechquellen Mountains with the
Lechtal Alps The Lechtal Alps () are a mountain-range in western Austria, and part of the greater Northern Limestone Alps range. Named for the river Lech which drains them north-ward into Germany, the Lechtal Alps occupy the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorar ...
. The Hochtannberg Pass forms the link to the
Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps () are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the Germany, German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyrol an ...
. The Faschinajoch is the connexion with the
Bregenz Forest Mountains The Bregenz Forest Mountains, also the Bregenzerwald Mountains (), are a range of the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps, named after the town of Bregenz. The Bregenz Forest Mountains are located entirely in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg ...
. Walther Flaig, a well-known alpine guide and author from Vorarlberg, had a significant influence on the definition and extent of the Lechquellen Mountains. The name he gave to the mountains and his definition of their extent was included in the
Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps The Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (, 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 and Austrian Alpine Club. The present-day di ...
(AVE).


Passes and crossings

In addition to the named passes, there are no other passes or crossings that are accessible by car. Other relevant touristic crossings are: * Rauhes Joch (Location of the "Freiburger Hut", 1.918 m (AA), accessible from the east by road, the crossing is also accessible by mountain bikes) * Spullersee (, crossing from
Lechtal The Lechtal is an alpine valley in Austria, the greater part of which belongs to the state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the smaller part to Vorarlberg. The Lech (river), Lech river flows through the valley. Location The valley is bounded geogr ...
to
Klostertal The Klostertal, , is an alpine valley in Vorarlberg, in Austria. It branches off at Bludenz and extends about to the east to the Arlberg and the border with Tyrol. It consists of the three communities of Klösterle am Arlberg, Dalaas and In ...
) * Stierlochjoch (, Access from
Lechtal The Lechtal is an alpine valley in Austria, the greater part of which belongs to the state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the smaller part to Vorarlberg. The Lech (river), Lech river flows through the valley. Location The valley is bounded geogr ...
to the Ravensburger Hut) * Gamsboden (Location of the Göppinger Hut, , crossing from
Lechtal The Lechtal is an alpine valley in Austria, the greater part of which belongs to the state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the smaller part to Vorarlberg. The Lech (river), Lech river flows through the valley. Location The valley is bounded geogr ...
to Große Walsertal)


Neighbouring ranges

The Lechquellen Mountains border on the following other groups in the Alps: *
Bregenz Forest Mountains The Bregenz Forest Mountains, also the Bregenzerwald Mountains (), are a range of the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps, named after the town of Bregenz. The Bregenz Forest Mountains are located entirely in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg ...
(to the north) *
Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps () are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the Germany, German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyrol an ...
(to the northeast) *
Lechtal Alps The Lechtal Alps () are a mountain-range in western Austria, and part of the greater Northern Limestone Alps range. Named for the river Lech which drains them north-ward into Germany, the Lechtal Alps occupy the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorar ...
(to the east) *
Verwall Alps The Verwall Alps or Verwall GroupKev Reynolds, Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, pp. 321-326. . are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps at the border of the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyr ...
(to the south) *
Rätikon The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Canton of Grisons, Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern Alps, Eastern and Western Alps and stretch ...
(to the southwest)


Summits

The 10 highest peaks in the Lechquellen Mountains are the: * Untere Wildgrubenspitze, * Rote Wand, *
Großer Grätlisgrat Grosser or Großer is the masculine nominative singular form of the German adjective "gross", meaning "big", "great", "large", "tall", and the like. It is part of many placenames, especially of mountains. It is also a surname. People with that surn ...
, * Mittlere Wildgrubenspitze, east top, * Mittlere Wildgrubenspitze, centre top, * Rote Wand, Ostgipfel, * Nadel, * Spuller Schafberg, Hauptgipfel, * Roggalspitze, * Wasenspitze, Other well known peaks in the Lechquellen, in order of height are the: * Braunarlspitze, * Hochlicht, * Mohnenfluh, * Karhorn, * Zitterklapfen, * Hochkünzelspitze, * Roggelskopf, * Feuerstein, * Warther Horn, * Gamsfreiheit, * Hoher Fraßen,


Tourism

The use of high-altitude roads (tolls) allows the motor vehicle to penetrate the interior of the mountains to a height of almost 2000 meters. But there are also larger areas with marked seclusion. The valleys were populated by the so-called
Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Swiss Alps, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser peopl ...
s - a name which is found in many Tyrolean family names. Historically, alpine farming dominates and is known today under the term
alpine transhumance Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German ' from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", '). ...
, a 3-phase lifestyle that highly influenced culture, traditions and architecture. Today tourism, especially
ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...
tourism in
Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...
and the smaller villages of
Zürs Zürs (1716 meters above sea level) is one of the most renowned winter sports resorts in the Alps. Located in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, almost directly on the border to North Tyrol, near the Flexenpass, Zürs is part of the A ...
, Stuben and
Damüls Damüls () is a village community and popular tourist resort in the district of Bregenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Damüls is known for its abundance of snow. In 2006, Damüls was awarded the honorary title "the snowiest ...
, as well as
hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...
is important.


Development of local public infrastructure

The Lechquellen mountains was made accessible in the second half of the 19th century. The small mountain group includes the upper part of the river
Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...
with it spring streams as well as the upper
Großwalsertal The Großes Walsertal () is a valley located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a side valley of the Walgau and stretches from there north to the mountainous center of the country. The end of the valley borders on the Bregenz Forest. Et ...
. The first hut was opened in 1894 by the
Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
section of the German and
Austrian Alpine Club The Austrian Alpine Club () has about 700,000 members in 194 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbouring countries. It also maintains ove ...
at lake
Formarinsee Formarinsee is a lake in the Austrian Alps. It lies in the Bundesland of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although ...
. Because of the great popularity another hut named Freiburger hut was opened in 1912 on the ''Rauhen Joch'', as well as the Ravensburger hut near the Spullersee in the same year. The Lechquellen mountains are little developed, apart from the large
ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
s and
railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to roa ...
at
Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...
and
Zürs Zürs (1716 meters above sea level) is one of the most renowned winter sports resorts in the Alps. Located in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, almost directly on the border to North Tyrol, near the Flexenpass, Zürs is part of the A ...
. Narrow toll roads lead to the valleys, and a shuttle bus from Lech leads to the Lechquellen in summer. On the other hand, it is ideal for hikers and there is a system of
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 connected by a
mountain path ''The Mountain Path'' is an English-language quarterly magazine published by Sri Ramanasramam, the ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a ...
which follows the entire "horseshoe" of the peaks, but requires some alpine experience - at least until the middle of the summer. The western ramp of the
Arlberg railway The Arlberg Railway (), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, after the Brenner ...
follows the southern edge of the Lechquellen mountains. Its power is supplied by hydroelectricity from the overflow of the Spullersee, which lies at a height of 700 metres above the Klostertal valley in the southern part of the Lechquellen mountains.


Alpine Club huts

There are five
Alpine Club hut Alpine club huts () or simply club huts (''Clubhütten'') form the majority of the over 1,300 mountain huts in the Alps and are maintained by branches, or sections, of the various Alpine clubs. Although the usual English translation of ''Hütte'' i ...
s in the mountains: * Biberacher Hut * Frassen Hut * Freiburger Hut * Göppinger Hut * Ravensburger Hut These huts, with the exception of the Frassen Hut, are part of the Lechquellenrunde.


Long-distance paths

North Alpine long-distance path 01, the Limestone Alps Way (''Kalkalpenweg''), crosses the Lechquellen as follows: * ''Section 17'' runs from Zürs to Damüls via the Madlochjoch, the Ravensburger Hut, the Freiburger Hut, the Göppinger Hut and the Biberacher Hut. The last section from the Faschinajoch to Damüls runs through the
Bregenz Forest Mountains The Bregenz Forest Mountains, also the Bregenzerwald Mountains (), are a range of the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps, named after the town of Bregenz. The Bregenz Forest Mountains are located entirely in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg ...
. The ''
Via Alpina The Via Alpina is a network of five long-distance hiking trails across the Alps, alpine regions of Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Monaco. The longest of trails is the red trail, whose termini are in Trie ...
'', a cross-border long-distance path with five sections through the whole Alps, also runs through the Lechquellen Mountains. The Red Trail of the Via Alpina (''Rote Weg der Via Alpina'')''The Red Trail''
at www.via-alpina.org. Retrieved on 17 Oct 2014. has 3 stages running through the Lechquellen as follows: * Stage R52 runs from the Mindelheimer Hut to Schröcken. This stage is mainly in the
Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps () are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the Germany, German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyrol an ...
. Making its way between the Hochtannberg Pass and Schröcken past the Kälbelesee and
Körbersee The picturesque lake Körbersee is east of the village Schröcken at 1600 m amsl in Austria. It lies within the "Lechtaler" Alps in Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the sec ...
it also enters the Lechquellen. * Stage R53 runs from Schröcken to Buchboden over the Schadona Pass (Biberacher Hut). * Stage R54 runs from Buchboden to St. Gerold. The second part of this stage is located in the Bregenz Forest Mountains. The '' Lechweg'' runs 125 km from lake
Formarinsee Formarinsee is a lake in the Austrian Alps. It lies in the Bundesland of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although ...
to the Lechfall in
Füssen Füssen () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Sc ...
(Germany).


Fixed rope routes

* Fixed rope route (DE: ''Klettersteig)'' on the Karhorn (2416 m) * Panorama Klettersteig * Francesco Tarmann Klettersteig ( Ludesch)


Nature protection

The
biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
reserve
Großwalsertal The Großes Walsertal () is a valley located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a side valley of the Walgau and stretches from there north to the mountainous center of the country. The end of the valley borders on the Bregenz Forest. Et ...
also covers parts of the Lechquellen Mountains. Particularly interesting are the core zones, which, according to
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, must be part of every biosphere reserve. In the Lechquellen mountains there are two larger core zones, the ''Gadental'' and the area ''Faludriga Nova''. The mountain forests in these core zones have not been used for a number of years in
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
. As a result, these core zones already present today the image of natural mountainous (virgin) forests with trees of different age classes and a high proportion of dead-wood in 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 ...
. There are the following
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
s: * Gadental, established 1987, size 1.336 ha * Gipslöcher Oberlech, established 1988, size 21 ha * Bödener Magerwiesen, established 1991, size 16,5 ha * Faludriga Nova, established 2003 Plant protection area: * Körbersee, established 1958, size 451 ha Natura-2000-areas: * Bergwälder Klostertal * Gadental, established 1995, size 1.543,77 ha


References


External links


Lechquellen Mountains on kamdoalp.cz - Hikes description, prominent peaks
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Alps Northern Limestone Alps Mountain ranges of Vorarlberg Mountains of Vorarlberg Natura 2000 in Austria