Ennstaler Alpen
Encyclopedia
The Ennstal Alps are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps
. They are located in the Austria
n states
of Styria
and Upper Austria
, but mostly in Styria. The most famous scenery in the Ennstal Alps is the Gesäuse, a valley where the Enns breaks through the limestone
.
The following mountain groups are part of the Ennstal Alps:
The range is pierced in the north by the Enns. This valley bears the description "Gesäuse". The valley is accompanied by the only roads and railway lines that run through the Ennstal Alps.
Settlement is restricted just to the Gesäuse with its main villages of Admont
, Hieflau
and Großreifling; several mountain valleys are settled too (Radmer
, Johnsbach, St. Gallen). In the valleys on the perimeter are the towns of Leoben
and Liezen
as well as Eisenerz.
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone 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 latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
. They are located in the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n states
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
of Styria
Styria (state)
Styria is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. ...
and Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
, but mostly in Styria. The most famous scenery in the Ennstal Alps is the Gesäuse, a valley where the Enns breaks through the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
Neighbouring mountain ranges
The Ennstal Alps border on the following other mountain ranges in the Alps:- Upper Austrian PrealpsUpper Austrian PrealpsThe 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 in the west and the Enns valley in the east, from Steyr in the north. It is usually counted as part of the Enns- and Steyrtal...
(to the north) - Ybbstal AlpsYbbstal AlpsThe Ybbstal Alps are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps and therefore belong to the Eastern Alps. They occupy an area along the borders of Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria. The range includes the eastern part of the Eisenwurzen, as well as the Göstling Alps and the Kräuterin in...
(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 GebirgeTotes GebirgeThe Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name Totes Gebirge is derived from the German words tot meaning "dead", referring to the apparent lack of vegetation, and Gebirge meaning "mountain...
(to the west)
Topography
The Ennstal Alps are bounded by:- the line LiezenLiezenLiezen 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.Liezen covers a surface of 56.36 km2 and has a population of 6,991 people, as of the 2001 census...
–Pyhrn PassPyhrn PassPyhrn Pass is a high mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between the Bundesländer of Upper Austria and Styria.It connects Warscheneck and Bosruck. The pass road has a maximum grade of 10 percent....
–WindischgarstenWindischgarstenWindischgarsten is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria with a population of 2442. Since 1964, the town has been classified as a Luftkurort, a mountain spa town.- Geography :...
in the westWestWest is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west.... - the Hengst Pass and the Laussabach in the northNorthNorth is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....
- the River Enns (from Altenmarkt bei Sankt GallenAltenmarkt bei Sankt GallenAltenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen is a municipality in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria....
to HieflauHieflauHieflau is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria....
), Erzbach and Vordernbergerbach in the east - the Mur (from LeobenLeobenLeoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining...
to Sankt Michael in ObersteiermarkSankt Michael in ObersteiermarkSankt Michael in Obersteiermark is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria.-References:...
), Liesing and Palten in the south
The following mountain groups are part of the Ennstal Alps:
- Haller MauernHaller MauernThe 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...
(highest summit: Großer PyhrgasGroßer PyhrgasThe Große Pyhrgas is a mountain in the Ennstal Alps on the border between Lower Austria and Styria.At a height of it is the highest summit and western buttress of the Haller Mauern range....
, 2,244 m) - Gesäuse mountains including the Buchstein Group (2,224 m), Reichenstein Group (2.251 m) and Hochtor Group (HochtorHochtorHochtor, at , is the highest mountain in the Ennstaler Alps, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, in Styria, Austria.The mountain is protected as part of Gesäuse National Park, the third largest in Austria....
, 2,369 m) and the Lugauer (2,217 m). - Eisenerz Alps (Eisenerzer ReichensteinEisenerzer ReichensteinThe Eisenerzer Reichenstein is a mountain in the Eisenerz Alps in the Austrian federal state of Styria. It lies south of the Erzberg near Eisenerz....
2,165 m) with the preceding massifs of Reiting (including the GößeckGoseckGoseck is a municipality lying on the Saale River, in the Burgenlandkreis district of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.-Geographic location:Goseck is located on the north bank of the Saale River about halfway between Naumburg and Weißenfels....
its main summit, 2,214 m) (in the south) and the Kaiserschild (2,105 m) in the north.
The range is pierced in the north by the Enns. This valley bears the description "Gesäuse". The valley is accompanied by the only roads and railway lines that run through the Ennstal Alps.
Settlement is restricted just to the Gesäuse with its main villages of Admont
Admont
Admont is a town in Styria, Austria, with a population of 2775 . It is historically most notable for Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074.-External links:* *...
, Hieflau
Hieflau
Hieflau is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria....
and Großreifling; several mountain valleys are settled too (Radmer
Radmer
Radmer is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria....
, Johnsbach, St. Gallen). In the valleys on the perimeter are the towns of Leoben
Leoben
Leoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining...
and Liezen
Liezen
Liezen 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.Liezen covers a surface of 56.36 km2 and has a population of 6,991 people, as of the 2001 census...
as well as Eisenerz.