Dachstein Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Dachstein Mountains are a mountain range in the Alps
. The term is a collective name used by the Austrian Alpine Club in categorising the Eastern Alps (AVE No. 14).
It includes:
The dividing lines are:
Alps
The Alps is 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 term is a collective name used by the Austrian Alpine Club in categorising the Eastern Alps (AVE No. 14).
It includes:
- The Dachstein Massif itself with its highest peak, the Hoher DachsteinHoher DachsteinHoher Dachstein is a strongly karstic Austrian mountain, and the second highest mountain in the Northern Limestone Alps. It is situated at the border of Upper Austria and Styria in central Austria, and is the highest point in each of those states...
- the Grimming in the east to the upper Styrian Enns valley
- the Sarstein in the north at the other bank of the River Traun
Extent
The Dachstein Mountains are bordered as follows:- to the northeast by the 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...
, which is separated by the line from Sankt AgathaSankt AgathaSankt Agatha is a municipality in the district of Grieskirchen in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...
on the Hallstättersee – Pötschenhöhe – Bad AusseeBad Aussee-Tracht:Bad Aussee is unique within Austria as its inhabitants wear Tracht, or traditional dress, on a daily basis. Within other regions of Austria, it could almost be taken as a political statement if one were to wear Tracht. For women, this consists of a Dirndl, a type of dress with a fitted...
– Kainischtraun – Bad MitterndorfBad MitterndorfBad Mitterndorf is a town in Salzkammergut, Styria in Austria. Situated between Salzburg and Graz, it is a popular winter sports resort and also as a location for walking and cycling in the summer. Bad Mitterndorf is the site of two health spas with thermal baths, an outdoor swimming pool and...
– Klachau – Grimmingbach to the River Enns - to the south by the Rottenmanner und Wölzer Tauern and the Niedere TauernNiedere TauernThe Niedere Tauern or Low Tauern are a mountain range in central Austria, part of the Central Eastern Alps. They lie on the main chain of the Alps in in the states of Salzburger Land and Styria...
, which are separated by the River Enns, roughly from Untergrimming to its confluence with the Weißenbach near Haus im EnnstalHaus im EnnstalHaus im Ennstal is an Austrian village, located in the Liezen district of Styria. As of 2001 it has a population of 2,526 in an area of 8.177 km². The town is an important town on the Enns river.... - to the southwest by the Roßbrand in the Salzburg Slate Mountains along the line from Weißenbach – Ramsaubach – Schildlehenbach – Kalte Mandling – Warme Mandling – Marcheggsattel – Fritzbach – Linbach – Neubach to Lungötz in the Lammer valley
- to the west the Lammer valley forms the boundary of the mountains with the TennengebirgeTennengebirgeThe Tennengebirge is a small, but rugged, mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, which lies in front of the Eastern Alps for its entire length. It is a very heavily karstified high plateau, about 60 km² in area, with many caves...
- to the northwest the Salzkammergut Mountains are separated by a line from Rußbach – Gschütt PassGschütt PassGschütt Pass is a high mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between the Bundesländer of Salzburg and Upper Austria.It connects Rußbach in the state of Salzburg with Gosau in Upper Austria. The pass is traversed by the Federal Highway B166....
– Gosaubach – Hallstätter SeeHallstätter SeeLake Hallstatt or Hallstätter See is a lake in the Salzkammergut, Austria, located at . Its surface is approximately 8.55 km² and its maximum depth is 125 metres. It is a popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers....
to Sankt AgathaSankt AgathaSankt Agatha is a municipality in the district of Grieskirchen in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...
Divisions
The two individual peaks of Grimming and Sarstein were counted as part of the Dachstein range because both have been broken off the Dachstein limestone block, even though they are quite separate from a hydrographic and orographic perspective. This classification appeared as early as 1924 in the Moriggl Division of the Alps.The dividing lines are:
- Hallstättersee and Koppentraun to Sarstein
- from Bad Mitterndorf on the Salzabach including the Salza Reservoir to Grimming – here the Dachstein GlacierDachstein GlacierDachstein Glacier is a glacier located above the town of Ramsau am Dachstein in Austria.- Skiing :The Dachstein is a popular ski area that remains snow-covered for much of the year. It has one T-Bar Lift and one two-seater chairlift, as well as a cable car to take people to the glacier.- Ski Tours...
has carved out another valley which is drained by the Kainischtraun to the north and the Grimmingbach to the south, and which forms the natural landscape division with the Totes Gebirge. In between the Salza crosses the valley in a curious way, and forms a narrow gorge (Salzaschlucht) between Grimming and Kemetgebirge, the eastern edge of the Dachstein plateau.