Hohe Tauern

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The Hohe Tauern is the highest range of the Alps east of the Brenner Pass, and includes the highest mountains in Austria. They are part of the Central Eastern Alps and are located in the Austrian states of Salzburg, Carinthia and East Tyrol, as well as a small part of South Tyrol in Italy.

The range is bounded by the Salzach valley to the north (separating it from the Kitzbühel Alps); the Mur valley and the Murtörl Pass to the east (separating it from the Niedere Tauern); the Drave valley to the south (separating it from the Southern Limestone Alps); and the Birnlücke pass to the west (separating it from the Zillertal Alps).

Its most important parts are (from West to East):

• Venediger Group (about 20 peaks from 3000 to 3666 m)
• Granatspitz Group
• Glockner Group (Großglockner 3798 m)
• Goldberg Group with the Hoher Sonnblick (3106 m)
• Ankogel Group (Ankogel (3246 m) and Hochalmspitze (3360 m))
• the eastern end of the Hohe Tauern is formed by the Hafner Group, which includes the easternmost peaks above 3000 metres in the Alps.

The parts of the Hohe Tauern south of the main crest of the Alps are:

• Lasörling Groups (Lasörling, 3098 m)
• Rieserferner Group (Hochgall, 3436 m)
• Schober Group (Hochschober, 3240 m)
• Kreuzeck Group (Polinik, 2784 m)

Adjacent mountain ranges include:

• Reißeck and Kreuzeck Group (south-east)
• Zillertal Alps (to the west, in the Tyrol and South Tyrol).
• Niedere Tauern - Radstädter Tauern (in the east)

The name "Hohe Tauern" originally meant "high passes", but came to be applied to the mountains themselves during the peak of mining operations during the Middle Ages.

In the centre of the region, there is the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern, to which the Austrian Alpine Club and the three states have contributed territory. At about 1800 km², it is the largest of Austria's six national parks and is divided into a core zone (complete prohibition of construction) and a fringe zone used for forestry and mountain pasture.

Tourism only increased marginally since the creation of the national park, but has become less harmful to the environment. A particular emphasis is put on environmental protection and the maintenance of traditional ways of life in the Alps.

Peaks

The main peaks of the Hohe Tauern are:

Peak	Group	Elevation (m/ft)
Großglockner	Glockner	3798	12,461
Großvenediger	Venediger	3660	12,008
Großes Wiesbachhorn	Glockner	3570	11,713
Dreiherrnspitze	Venediger	3505	11,500
Rötspitze	Venediger	3496	11,470
Johannisberg	Glockner	3467	11,375
Hochgall	Rieserferner	3440	11,287
Großer Geiger	Venediger	3365	11,041
Ruthnerhorn	Rieserferner	3360	11,024
Hochalmspitze	Ankogel	3355	11,008
Roter Knopf	Schober	3296	10,814
Hocharn	Goldberg	3258	10,689
Ankogel	Ankogel	3253	10,663
Hochschober	Schober	3250	10,663
Kitzsteinhorn	Glockner	3204	10,512
Sonnblick	Goldberg	3108	10,196

Passes and tunnels

The Hohe Tauern are crossed by several tunnels:

• Felbertauern tunnel (road), Mittersill to Lienz
• Tauern tunnel (railroad), Bad Gastein to Mallnitz
• Tauern tunnel (highway), Eben im Pongau to Sankt Michael im Lungau
• Katschberg tunnel (highway), Sankt Michael im Lungau to Spittal an der Drau

The main mountain passes of the Hohe Tauern are:

Mountain pass	Location	Type	Elevation (m/ft)
Riffeltor	Kaprun to Heiligenblut	snow	3051	10,010
Bockkarscharte	Ferleiten to Heiligenblut	snow	3046	9994
Sonnblickscharte	Rauris to Heiligenblut	snow	2979	9774
Vörder Umbaltorl	Prägraten to Ahrntal-Valle Aurina	snow	2928	9607
Obersulzbachtorl	Prägraten to Wald im Pinzgau	snow	2926	9600
Untersulzbachtorl	Innergschlöß to Wald im Pinzgau	snow	2865	9400
Schwarzkopfscharte	Innergschlöß to Bramberg	snow	2850	9351
Prägratertorl	Prägraten to Defereggental	foot path	2846	9338
Glodistorl	Lienz to Kals	snow	2832	9292
Antholzerscharte	Rain in Taufers to Antholz-Anterselva	snow	2820	9252
Krimmlertorl	Krimmler Achental to Obersulzbachtal	snow	2814	9233
Goldzechscharte	Rauris to Heiligenblut	snow	2810	9220
Kalsertorl	Lienz to Kals	snow	2803	9197
Ober Tramerscharte	Rauris to Döllach	snow	2802	9193
Kleine Elendscharte	Bad Gastein to Gmünd	snow	2739	8987
Kleine Zirknitzscharte	Rauris to Döllach	snow	2719	8921
Mallnitzerscharte	Mallnitz to Gmünd	snow	2677	8783
Große Elendscharte	Mallnitz to upper Maltatal	snow	2673	8770
Unter Pfandlscharte	Ferleiten to Heiligenblut	snow	2665	8744
Bergertorl	Ferleiten to Heiligenblut	foot path	2650	8695
Kaprunertorl	Kaprun to upper Stubachtal	snow	2635	8645
Virgner or Defereggertorl	Defereggental to Virgen	foot path	2617	8586
Backlenke or Trojerjoch	Defereggental to Prägraten	foot path	2613	8573
Hochtor	Heiligenblut to Ferleiten	road A tunnel goes under the pass at 2505 metres	2573	8442
Felber Tauern	Matrei in Osttirol to Mittersill	bridle path	2540	8334
Kalser Tauern	Kals to Mittersill	foot path	2512	8242
Hohe Tauern	Bad Gastein to Mallnitz	bridle path	2463	8081
Niedere or Mallnitzer Tauern	Bad Gastein to Mallnitz	bridle path	2414	7920
Fuschertorl	Ferleiten to the Seidlwinkeltal	foot path	2405	7891
Klammljoch	Defereggental to Sand in Taufers-Campo Tures	bridle path	2291	7517
Arlscharte	Gmünd to Sankt Johann im Pongau	foot path	2251	7386
Kals Matreiertorl	Kals to Matrei	bridle path	2206	7238
Stanz	Bad Gastein to Rauris	foot path	2103	6900
Stallersattel	Defereggental to Antholz	road	2055	6742
Radstädter Tauern	Radstadt to Mauterndorf	road	1738	5702

Notes

 

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