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Piz Bernina (4,049 m) is the highest mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 of the Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps

Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Spl?gen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Spl?gen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line....
 and the summit of the Bernina Range
Bernina Range

The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps....
. It is also the furthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
, the highest point of the Graubünden
Graubünden

Graub?nden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost cantons of Switzerland of Switzerland. The name Graub?nden translates as "Grey Leagues," referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, the League of God's House, the Grey League, and the League of Ten Jurisdictions....
 canton of Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
, and the fifth most prominent peak in the Alps.

Bernina is the culminating point of a group of summits slightly lower than 4000 m mostly lying on the main watershed
Main chain of the Alps

The main chain of the Alps is the central line of mountains that forms the water divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest pyramidal peaks of a range; the Alps are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of mountains are separated fr...
 between Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
 and Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 (such as Piz Roseg
Piz Roseg

Piz Roseg is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Graub?nden, Switzerland.There are two summits on its main ridge:The first ascent of the mountain to the Schneekuppe was by F....
, Piz Scerscen
Piz Scerscen

Piz Scerscen is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy, joining the neighbouring Piz Bernina by its north-east ridge via a 3,895 m pass....
 and Piz Zupò
Piz Zupò

Piz Zup? is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy, and is the second highest peak in the range after Piz Bernina.The first ascent of the mountain was made by L....
, Piz Palü
Piz Palü

Piz Pal? is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy. There are three summits on its main ridge, which runs from east to west. The name Pal? derives from the Latin palus, meaning a swamp, and the mountain is said to be named after the Alpe Pal?, a high alpine pasture some 4 km to its east....
).

The summit itself is located on a perpendicular chain (orientated north–south) starting at La Spedla
La Spedla

La Spedla is a minor summit south of Piz Bernina on the border between Italy and Switzerland. Because of its small prominence it was included in the enlarged list of List of Alpine four-thousanders....
 on the border and finishing at Piz Chalchagn
Piz Chalchagn

The Piz Chalchagn is a mountain in the Bernina Range , located in Graub?nden, Switzerland.External links...
, composed also of Piz Morteratsch
Piz Morteratsch

Piz Morteratsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland. It is bordered on the east by the Morteratsch Glacier and on the south-west by the Tschierva Glacier....
 and Piz Boval
Piz Boval

The Piz Boval is a mountain in the Bernina Range , located in Graub?nden, Switzerland.External links...
.

Piz Bernina separates two glacier valleys, the Tschierva Glacier
Tschierva Glacier

The Tschierva Glacier is a 4 km long glacier situated in the Bernina Range in the canton of Graub?nden in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.2 km?....
 on the west and the Morteratsch Glacier
Morteratsch Glacier

The Morteratsch Glacier is the largest glacier by area in the Bernina Range of the B?ndner Alps in Switzerland.It is, just after the Pasterze Glacier and Gepatschferner, the third largest and by volume the most massive glacier in the eastern alps....
 on the east.






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Piz Bernina (4,049 m) is the highest mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 of the Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps

Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Spl?gen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Spl?gen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line....
 and the summit of the Bernina Range
Bernina Range

The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps....
. It is also the furthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
, the highest point of the Graubünden
Graubünden

Graub?nden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost cantons of Switzerland of Switzerland. The name Graub?nden translates as "Grey Leagues," referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, the League of God's House, the Grey League, and the League of Ten Jurisdictions....
 canton of Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
, and the fifth most prominent peak in the Alps.

Geography

Piz Bernina is the culminating point of a group of summits slightly lower than 4000 m mostly lying on the main watershed
Main chain of the Alps

The main chain of the Alps is the central line of mountains that forms the water divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest pyramidal peaks of a range; the Alps are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of mountains are separated fr...
 between Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
 and Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 (such as Piz Roseg
Piz Roseg

Piz Roseg is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Graub?nden, Switzerland.There are two summits on its main ridge:The first ascent of the mountain to the Schneekuppe was by F....
, Piz Scerscen
Piz Scerscen

Piz Scerscen is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy, joining the neighbouring Piz Bernina by its north-east ridge via a 3,895 m pass....
 and Piz Zupò
Piz Zupò

Piz Zup? is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy, and is the second highest peak in the range after Piz Bernina.The first ascent of the mountain was made by L....
, Piz Palü
Piz Palü

Piz Pal? is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy. There are three summits on its main ridge, which runs from east to west. The name Pal? derives from the Latin palus, meaning a swamp, and the mountain is said to be named after the Alpe Pal?, a high alpine pasture some 4 km to its east....
).

The summit itself is located on a perpendicular chain (orientated north–south) starting at La Spedla
La Spedla

La Spedla is a minor summit south of Piz Bernina on the border between Italy and Switzerland. Because of its small prominence it was included in the enlarged list of List of Alpine four-thousanders....
 on the border and finishing at Piz Chalchagn
Piz Chalchagn

The Piz Chalchagn is a mountain in the Bernina Range , located in Graub?nden, Switzerland.External links...
, composed also of Piz Morteratsch
Piz Morteratsch

Piz Morteratsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland. It is bordered on the east by the Morteratsch Glacier and on the south-west by the Tschierva Glacier....
 and Piz Boval
Piz Boval

The Piz Boval is a mountain in the Bernina Range , located in Graub?nden, Switzerland.External links...
.

Piz Bernina separates two glacier valleys, the Tschierva Glacier
Tschierva Glacier

The Tschierva Glacier is a 4 km long glacier situated in the Bernina Range in the canton of Graub?nden in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.2 km?....
 on the west and the Morteratsch Glacier
Morteratsch Glacier

The Morteratsch Glacier is the largest glacier by area in the Bernina Range of the B?ndner Alps in Switzerland.It is, just after the Pasterze Glacier and Gepatschferner, the third largest and by volume the most massive glacier in the eastern alps....
 on the east. The waters flowing on both side of the mountain end up in the Inn River
Inn River

The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres....
. South of Piz Bernina the watershed separates the drainage basin
Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean....
s of the Danube
Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
 (Black Sea
Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
) and the Po River
Po River

The Po is a river that flows 652 km eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. It has a drainage area of 71,000 km? and is the longest river in Italy....
 (Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges....
). The summit of Piz Bernina is the culminating point of the Danube drainage basin.

Geology

The rocks composing Piz Bernina are diorite
Diorite

Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate Intrusion igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene....
s and gabbro
Gabbro

Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive igneous rock chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are Intrusive, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
s. The massif in general is also composed of granite
Granite

Granite is a common and widely occurring type of Intrusion , felsic, igneous rock rock . Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as Porphyry ....
s (Piz Corvatsch
Piz Corvatsch

Piz Corvatsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland. A minor summit, Piz Murtel , lies just above the cable car station ....
, Piz Palü
Piz Palü

Piz Pal? is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland and Italy. There are three summits on its main ridge, which runs from east to west. The name Pal? derives from the Latin palus, meaning a swamp, and the mountain is said to be named after the Alpe Pal?, a high alpine pasture some 4 km to its east....
). Most of the range belongs to the Austroalpine nappes
Austroalpine nappes

The Austroalpine nappes are a geology nappe stack in the European Alps. The Alps contain three such stacks, of which the Austroalpine nappes are structural geology on top of the other two ....
, a tectonic unit whose rocks come from the Apulian plate
Apulian Plate

The Adriatic or Apulian Plate is a small tectonic plate carrying primarily continental crust that broke away from the African plate along a large transform fault in the Cretaceous period....
, a small continent which broke away from Africa (Gondwana
Gondwana

Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland is the name given to a southern precursor-supercontinent and then as a remnant separated from Laurasia 180- during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Annum ago into two large segments.) before the Alpine orogeny
Orogeny

Orogeny refers to natural mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event, and a chronological event: orogenic events cause distinctive structural phenomena and related tectonic activity, affect certain regions of rocks and crust, and happen within a specific period of time....
. The Austroalpine nappes are common in the entire Eastern Alps.

Tourism

Piz Bernina is the highest summit of the Engadin
Engadin

The Engadin or Engadine is a long Swiss Alps valley located in the canton of Graub?nden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn River flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream....
 region and lies close to the resorts of St Moritz and Pontresina
Pontresina

Pontresina is a Municipalities of Switzerland in the district of Maloja in the Cantons of Switzerland of Graub?nden in Switzerland.This Alps village located high in the Engadin region of Switzerland....
. The mountain can be seen from different viewpoints with the use of ski-lifts from Diavolezza
Diavolezza

The Diavolezza is a mountain in the area of Pontresina in Graub?nden. It has a height of 2'978 m and is located southeast of Munt Pers .The mountain can be reached by cable car from Val Bernina....
, Piz Corvatsch
Piz Corvatsch

Piz Corvatsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland. A minor summit, Piz Murtel , lies just above the cable car station ....
 or Piz Nair
Piz Nair

Piz Nair is a mountain above St. Moritz in the Albula Range in Switzerland. The summit is easily accessible from the village with a funicular and an aerial tramway....
. The Bernina Express
Bernina Express

The Bernina Express is an express train which connects Chur to Poschiavo and Tirano crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south, using the Albula / Bernina Line....
 train connects St Moritz with the southern Val Poschiavo
Val Poschiavo

Val Poschiavo is a valley in the Italian-language-speaking part of the Switzerland Cantons of Switzerland of Graub?nden or Grisons. The main city is Poschiavo....
 through the Bernina Pass
Bernina Pass

The Bernina Pass is a high mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps, in the Cantons of Switzerland of Graub?nden in Switzerland. It connects St....
.

First Ascent

The mountain takes its name from the pass
Bernina Pass

The Bernina Pass is a high mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps, in the Cantons of Switzerland of Graub?nden in Switzerland. It connects St....
 and was given in 1850 by Johann Coaz, who made the first ascent with J. R. Tscharner and L. R. Tscharner via the Labyrinth, Sass dal Pos and the east ridge.

Alpine huts

  • Rifugio Carate Brianza (2,662 m) - capacity 32 beds, 3 places in winterraum
  • Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri (2,813 m) - capacity 220 beds, 15 places in winterraum
  • Rifugio Marco e Rosa (3,609 m) - capacity 50 beds, 32 places in winterraum
  • Chamanna da Tschierva (2,573 m) - capacity 100 beds
  • Chamanna Boval (2,495 m) - capacity 120 beds
  • Chamanna da Diavolezza
    Diavolezza

    The Diavolezza is a mountain in the area of Pontresina in Graub?nden. It has a height of 2'978 m and is located southeast of Munt Pers .The mountain can be reached by cable car from Val Bernina....
     (2,973 m) - capacity 234 beds


Panorama


See also

  • Swiss Alps
    Swiss Alps

    The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position with the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....


External links

  • - Czech/English