Eastern Alps
Encyclopedia
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps
, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass
in eastern Switzerland
. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro
river and Lake Como
form the boundary line.
and Liechtenstein
, as well as parts of extreme southern Germany
, far northern Italy
and a good portion of northern Slovenia
. The eastern border is formed by the Wienerwald
(Vienna Woods) and the Viennese basin, which is the transition zone to the Carpathian mountains
.
The Eastern Alps are traditionally divided according to the Alpenvereins-Einteilung (arrangement of the Alpine Club
) into several dozen small regions, each assigned to the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Central Eastern Alps
or the Southern Calcareous Alps. Fuller details are given on those pages of the regions they contain.
The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina
(4,049 m) in Switzerland
is the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. The mountain takes its name from the Bernina Pass
and was given in 1850 by Johann Coaz, who also made the first ascent. Excepting other peaks in the Bernina range, the next highest is the Ortler
(3,905 m) in Italy/South Tyrol and then the Großglockner
(3,798 m) in Austria
. The region around the mountain has also formed part of the Großglockner-Pasterze Special Protection Area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.
During the Würm glaciation, the Eastern Alps were drier than the Western Alps, with the contiguous ice shield ending in the region of the Niedere Tauern
in Austria
. This allowed many species to survive the ice age
in the Eastern Alps where they could not survive elsewhere. For that reason, many species
of plants are endemic
to the Eastern Alps.
The Rätikon
mountain range, in the Central Eastern Alps
, derives its name from Raetia
.
provinces of Raetia
of Noricum
. In the 6th Century the Slavic settlement in the Eastern Alps region was occurring, as proven by the collapse of local dioceses in the late 6th century. The change in population and also material culture
, and most importantly, in the establishment of a now Slavic language group
in the area. By the 590's AD, today's East Tyrol and Carinthia had come to be referred to in historical sources as Provincia Sclaborum (the Country of Slavs). The territory settled by Slavs, however, was also inhabited by the remains of the indigenous Romanised Celtic and Pannonian population, which preserved Christian faith and help convert the Slavs of Carantania. The late Roman influx of the Alemanni also influenced the makeup of Principality of Liechtenstein.
Carantania, and was absorbed into the Frankish Empire
in 745 AD. The formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhaetia occered in 814AD. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire
and the newly formed Swiss
cantons.
The Rätikon
mountain range derives its name from Raetia
.
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....
, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass
Splügen Pass
The Splügen Pass is a high mountain pass which marks the boundary between the Lepontine and Rhaetian Alps....
in eastern Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro
Liro (Como)
The Liro is a torrente, or stream, of the north Italian Province of Como. The drainage basin is triangular in shape; its principal source lies on Monte Marmontana near the Swiss border and flows through the Valle San Iorio . The second source lies to the northeast on the slopes of Pizzo Martello...
river and Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
form the boundary line.
Geography
The Eastern Alps include parts of Switzerland, most of AustriaAustria
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...
and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, as well as parts of extreme southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, far northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and a good portion of northern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The eastern border is formed by the Wienerwald
Wienerwald
The Vienna Woods are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The long and wide hill range is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese....
(Vienna Woods) and the Viennese basin, which is the transition zone to the Carpathian mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
.
The Eastern Alps are traditionally divided according to the Alpenvereins-Einteilung (arrangement of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
) into several dozen small regions, each assigned to the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Central Eastern Alps
Central Eastern Alps
The Central Eastern Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps with its highest peaks, located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps, from which they differ in geological composition....
or the Southern Calcareous Alps. Fuller details are given on those pages of the regions they contain.
The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina is the highest mountain of the Eastern Alps and the highest point of the Bernina Range the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. It is also the farthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps, the highest point of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and the fifth-most prominent...
(4,049 m) in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
is the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. The mountain takes its name from the Bernina Pass
Bernina Pass
The Bernina Pass is a high mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps, in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. It connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz in the Engadin valley with the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, which ends in the Italian town of Tirano in Valtellina....
and was given in 1850 by Johann Coaz, who also made the first ascent. Excepting other peaks in the Bernina range, the next highest is the Ortler
Ortler
Ortler is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of the Italian province of South Tyrol, of Tyrol overall, and, until 1919, of the Austrian-Hungarian...
(3,905 m) in Italy/South Tyrol and then the Großglockner
Großglockner
The Grossglockner is, at 3,798 m above sea level, Austria's highest mountain and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass...
(3,798 m) in 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...
. The region around the mountain has also formed part of the Großglockner-Pasterze Special Protection Area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.
During the Würm glaciation, the Eastern Alps were drier than the Western Alps, with the contiguous ice shield ending in the region of the Niedere Tauern
Niedere Tauern
The 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...
in 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...
. This allowed many species to survive the ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
in the Eastern Alps where they could not survive elsewhere. For that reason, many species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of plants are endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Eastern Alps.
The Rätikon
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
mountain range, in the Central Eastern Alps
Central Eastern Alps
The Central Eastern Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps with its highest peaks, located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps, from which they differ in geological composition....
, derives its name from Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
.
Ancient history
At one time, the region had long been inhabited by the Celts, then the territory became part of the ancient RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
provinces of Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
of Noricum
Noricum
Noricum, in ancient geography, was a Celtic kingdom stretching over the area of today's Austria and a part of Slovenia. It became a province of the Roman Empire...
. In the 6th Century the Slavic settlement in the Eastern Alps region was occurring, as proven by the collapse of local dioceses in the late 6th century. The change in population and also material culture
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
, and most importantly, in the establishment of a now Slavic language group
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
in the area. By the 590's AD, today's East Tyrol and Carinthia had come to be referred to in historical sources as Provincia Sclaborum (the Country of Slavs). The territory settled by Slavs, however, was also inhabited by the remains of the indigenous Romanised Celtic and Pannonian population, which preserved Christian faith and help convert the Slavs of Carantania. The late Roman influx of the Alemanni also influenced the makeup of Principality of Liechtenstein.
Carantania, and was absorbed into the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
in 745 AD. The formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhaetia occered in 814AD. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the newly formed Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
cantons.
The Rätikon
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
mountain range derives its name from Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
.
See also
- Northern Calcareous Alps
- Central Eastern AlpsCentral Eastern AlpsThe Central Eastern Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps with its highest peaks, located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps, from which they differ in geological composition....
- Southern Calcareous Alps
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