Tennengebirge
Encyclopedia
The 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 karst
ified high plateau, about 60 km² in area, with many caves. The range is located in Austria
in the district of Salzburg
near Bischofshofen
.
Some 37 square kilometres of the Tennengebirge plateau are above the 2,000 metre line and that part of the range within the state of Salzburg was turned into a nature reserve
in 1982.
ified massif
, composed mainly of Dachstein limestone lying on a foundation of Ramsau dolomite.
Its southern foothills, along the line Lungötz–Werfenweng
–Werfen
, belong to an imbricate zone (Schuppenzone). This zone, made of Werfen Formation from the Lower Triassic and middle triadic dolomite
s (Anisian
, Ladinian
), is called the Werfen-St.-Martin Schuppen Zone.
The Tennengebirge is a preferred research region for the State Cave Research Association in Salzburg
, which collects and publishes results of its research. New caves are continually being found, but even old, well-known caves sometimes reveal new secrets.
Knowledge of the caves, and the routes that water takes through them, is important, particularly in terms of future water supply for the population and the protection of water resources.
a wide scope of climbing options. The faces on the southern edge of the range, especially around the Werfener Hut and above Dr. Heinrich Hackel Hut are very popular due to their easy accessibility. In winter there are various ski touring routes, mainly crossing the plateau, but also extreme ski routes in some places.
/North Alpine Way 01/Via Alpina
(Violet Trail Stage A34/35) runs through the southern Tennengebirge, from Lungötz to Werfen via the Dr. Heinrich Hackel Hut.
In addition Salzburg's Arno Way runs along the west of the group (Section 6 Kalkberge Ost, Stage 52 Annaberg Laufener Hut and 53 to Abtenau).
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...
, which lies in front 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 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.-Geography:The...
for its entire length. It is a very heavily karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ified high plateau, about 60 km² in area, with many caves. The range is located 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...
in the district of Salzburg
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
near Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen is a city located in the Salzach valley in the Alps, in the District of Pongau, in Salzburgerland, Austria.The city is an important railway hub and lies at the Tauernautobahn, a highway route through the Alps....
.
Some 37 square kilometres of the Tennengebirge plateau are above the 2,000 metre line and that part of the range within the state of Salzburg was turned into a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in 1982.
Extent and neighbouring ranges
The outline of the Tennengebirge range is formed:- in the west by the Hagengebirge, a part of the Berchtesgaden AlpsBerchtesgaden AlpsThe Berchtesgaden Alps are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre...
, separated by the SalzachSalzachThe Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Inn and is 225 kilometres in length.The river's name is derived from the German word Salz, meaning "salt". Until the 19th century shipping of salt down the river was an important part of the local economy...
river. Here, at the northern end of the Lueg Pass, is the narrowest point of the Salzach gorge through the Limestone Alps. - in the north and northeast by the River Lammer as far as the Rußbach stream, which descends from the 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....
. Beyond the Lammer is the Osterhorn Group (Salzkammergut Mountains) - in the east by the Lammer valley as far as Lungötz, separating it from the Dachsteingebirge
- in the south it borders on part of the Salzburg Slate Alps right of the Salzach (Hochgründeck, Roßbrand) along the line from Karbach to St. Martin – Fritzbach – SalzachSalzachThe Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Inn and is 225 kilometres in length.The river's name is derived from the German word Salz, meaning "salt". Until the 19th century shipping of salt down the river was an important part of the local economy...
to BischofshofenBischofshofenBischofshofen is a city located in the Salzach valley in the Alps, in the District of Pongau, in Salzburgerland, Austria.The city is an important railway hub and lies at the Tauernautobahn, a highway route through the Alps....
Valley settlements
- WerfenWerfenWerfen is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is located in the Pongau region, on the southern rim of the Berchtesgaden Alps in the valley of the Salzach river, about south of the city of Salzburg...
- PfarrwerfenPfarrwerfenPfarrwerfen is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria....
- WerfenwengWerfenwengWerfenweng is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria.-Population:In 2006 there were a population of 819 in Werfenweng. This is the evolution in the last decades: * 2006 = 819* 2001 = 766* 1991 = 615...
- Sankt Martin am TennengebirgeSankt Martin am TennengebirgeSankt Martin am Tennengebirge is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria....
- Annaberg-LungötzAnnaberg-LungötzAnnaberg-Lungötz is a municipality in Salzburg, Austria.One of its constituent parts, Annaberg im Lammertal is a village especially notable for tourism. Located in the Alps, it is part of the Dachstein West ski region. Summer activities available for tourists include mountain biking, paragliding,...
- AbtenauAbtenauAbtenau is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.-Sister towns: Big Bear Lake...
- Scheffau am TennengebirgeScheffau am TennengebirgeScheffau am Tennengebirge is a municipality in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.- Geography :The municipality of Scheffau am Tennengebirge lies in the southern Tennengau in Salzburger Land. The River Lammer flows through its territory. Its subordinate parishes are: Unterscheffau,...
- GollingGolling an der SalzachGolling an der Salzach is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.-References:...
Summit
The highest mountains in the Tennengebirge are Raucheck in the west and Bleikogel in the east. The highest points all rise on the southern edge of the plateau, which falls away to the north. The most important peaks are:
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Geology
The Tennengebirge is a heavily karstKARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ified massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
, composed mainly of Dachstein limestone lying on a foundation of Ramsau dolomite.
Its southern foothills, along the line Lungötz–Werfenweng
Werfenweng
Werfenweng is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria.-Population:In 2006 there were a population of 819 in Werfenweng. This is the evolution in the last decades: * 2006 = 819* 2001 = 766* 1991 = 615...
–Werfen
Werfen
Werfen is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is located in the Pongau region, on the southern rim of the Berchtesgaden Alps in the valley of the Salzach river, about south of the city of Salzburg...
, belong to an imbricate zone (Schuppenzone). This zone, made of Werfen Formation from the Lower Triassic and middle triadic dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
s (Anisian
Anisian
In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from 245 million years ago until 237 million years ago, approximately...
, Ladinian
Ladinian
The Ladinian is a stage and age in the Middle Triassic series or epoch. It spans the time between 237 ± 2 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
), is called the Werfen-St.-Martin Schuppen Zone.
Caves
There are numerous caves in the Tennengebirge.- The most famous is the EisriesenweltEisriesenweltThe Eisriesenwelt is a natural limestone ice cave located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. The cave is inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps...
near WerfenWerfenWerfen is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is located in the Pongau region, on the southern rim of the Berchtesgaden Alps in the valley of the Salzach river, about south of the city of Salzburg...
, which is about 42 km long and is the largest ice caveIce caveThe term ice cave refers to any type of natural cave that contains significant amounts of perennial ice...
in the world. Its ice section is open to the public as a show caveShow caveShow caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
. - The best-known caves near valley level are the Brunnecker Cave on Lueg Pass, the Winnerfall Cave near Oberscheffau and the Trickl Cave near AbtenauAbtenauAbtenau is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.-Sister towns: Big Bear Lake...
. These are active water caves which can become flooded during snowmelt or other periods of high water level. - Another important cave system is the Platteneckeis Cave–Berger Cave–Bierloch system in the northwest of the mountain block. This system drains towards the Brunnecker Cave, dropping through a height of over 1,000 metres.
- Other important caves are the Schneeloch on the Kuchelbergalm
- and the Eiskogel Cave, which crosses the mountain of the same name on the southern edge of the Tennengebirge
The Tennengebirge is a preferred research region for the State Cave Research Association in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, which collects and publishes results of its research. New caves are continually being found, but even old, well-known caves sometimes reveal new secrets.
Knowledge of the caves, and the routes that water takes through them, is important, particularly in terms of future water supply for the population and the protection of water resources.
Walking and climbing
Being a high plateau, the Tennengebirge has numerous trails for the Alpine hiker. However, walkers need to be aware of the lack of water in the karst terrain and the dangers of getting lost in mist or fog. Alpine experience and a good level of fitness are basic pre-requisites, even though there are many mountain huts available. The precipices on the edge of the plateau offer the climberClimber
Climber may refer to:*Climber, a participant in the activity of climbing*Climber, general name for a vine*Climber , a robot that goes upward or downward on a track*Climber , by Nintendo...
a wide scope of climbing options. The faces on the southern edge of the range, especially around the Werfener Hut and above Dr. Heinrich Hackel Hut are very popular due to their easy accessibility. In winter there are various ski touring routes, mainly crossing the plateau, but also extreme ski routes in some places.
Huts
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Long distance trails
The European long-distance trail E4European walking route E4
The E4 European long distance path or E4 path is one of the European long-distance paths starting in Spain at its westernmost point and leading through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to end in Greece...
/North Alpine Way 01/Via Alpina
Via Alpina
Via Alpina is a network of five long-distance hiking trails across the alpine regions of Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Monaco....
(Violet Trail Stage A34/35) runs through the southern Tennengebirge, from Lungötz to Werfen via the Dr. Heinrich Hackel Hut.
In addition Salzburg's Arno Way runs along the west of the group (Section 6 Kalkberge Ost, Stage 52 Annaberg Laufener Hut and 53 to Abtenau).