The High Tauern (plural; German: Hohe Tauern, Italian: Alti Tauri) are a mountain range in the main part of the Central Eastern Alps. They include the highest mountains east of the Brenner Pass. The top of the range forms the southern border of the Austrian regions of Salzburg, Carinthia, and East Tyrol. A small area in the southwest is part of the Italian province of South Tyrol. The range includes Austria’s tallest mountain, the Grossglockner, which reaches 3,798 meters (12,461 feet) above the Adriatic Sea.

To the east, the High Tauern are next to the Lower Tauern. For information about the meaning of the name, see Tauern.

Geography

According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps, the range is surrounded by the Salzach Valley to the north, which separates it from the Kitzbühel Alps, the Mur Valley and the Murtörl Pass to the east, which separates it from the Lower Tauern, the Drava Valley to the south, which separates it from the Southern Limestone Alps, and the Birnlücke Pass to the west, which separates it from the Zillertal Alps.

Important groups along the main mountain line, from west to east, include:

• Venediger Group (includes Grossvenediger, 3,666 metres (12,028 ft), and Lasörling, 3,098 metres (10,164 ft))
• Granatspitze Group (includes Großer Muntanitz, 3,232 metres (10,604 ft), and Granatspitze, 3,086 metres (10,125 ft))
• Glockner Group (includes Grossglockner, 3,798 metres (12,461 ft))
• Goldberg Group (includes Hoher Sonnblick, 3,106 metres (10,190 ft))
• Ankogel Group (includes Hochalmspitze, 3,360 metres (11,020 ft), and Ankogel, 3,246 metres (10,650 ft))
• Reisseck Group (includes Reisseck, 2,965 metres (9,728 ft))

The eastern end of the High Tauern is marked by the Hafner massif of the Ankogel Group, which contains the easternmost peaks in the Alpine chain that are over 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) in height.

Additional parts of the High Tauern located south of the main mountain line, from west to east, include:

• Rieserferner Group (includes Hochgall, 3,436 metres (11,273 ft))
• Villgraten Mountains (includes Weiße Spitze, 2,962 metres (9,718 ft))
• Schober Group (includes Petzeck, 3,283 metres (10,771 ft), and Hochschober, 3,240 metres (10,630 ft))
• Kreuzeck Group (includes Mölltaler Polinik, 2,784 metres (9,134 ft))

High Tauern National Park

The High Tauern National Park (Nationalpark Hohe Tauern) covers 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the main mountain range. The Austrian Alpine Club, along with the states of Carinthia, Salzburg, and Tyrol, provided land for the park. With an area of about 1,834 square kilometers (708 square miles), it is the largest national park in Austria and the biggest nature reserve in the Alps. The park has two main areas: a core zone of 1,198 square kilometers (463 square miles) that includes the Grossglockner and Grossvenediger mountain ranges. This area has no farming allowed. The second part, called the fringe zone, covers 638 square kilometers (246 square miles) and is used for forestry and alpine-meadow farming. Five special areas are protected from any human activity.

The park, classified as IUCN II, includes the Pasterze glacier and other glaciers, the Krimml Waterfalls, glacial valleys, alluvial fans, tundra, and forests. Along the tree line, Swiss pines grow. Above this, low-growing plants like alpenrose and the rare Saxifraga rudolphiana live up to about 2,800 meters (9,200 feet). Animals in the park include chamois, Alpine ibex, red deer, griffon vultures, and golden eagles. The bearded vulture and Alpine marmot were once extinct but have been reintroduced successfully.

The park was created in 1971 through a declaration signed by the involved states in Heiligenblut. Protection began in 1981 with areas near Großglockner and Hochschober in Carinthia. Additional areas joined the park in 1992. Tourism now causes less harm to the environment. Efforts focus on preserving traditional ways of life in the Alps.

Tunnels and passes

The High Tauern have three tunnels that cross through them:

• The Tauern Railway Tunnel connects Bad Gastein and Mallnitz and was completed in 1906.
• The Katschberg Tunnel is part of the A10 Tauern Autobahn (European route E55) and links Sankt Michael im Lungau and the Tauern Road Tunnel to Rennweg.
• The Felbertauerntunnel is on the B108 Felbertauern Straße highway and runs between Mittersill and Matrei in Osttirol.

The most famous mountain pass road in the High Tauern is the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which opened in 1935. This road includes a tunnel located at a height of 2,505 meters (8,219 feet) under the Hochtor Pass (2,573 meters (8,442 feet)). To the east of this road, the Katschberg Pass (1,641 meters (5,384 feet)) on the B99 Katschberg Straße highway runs parallel to the Katschberg Tunnel and connects Sankt Michael and Rennweg. Another road crosses the Staller Sattel, which is located between Sankt Jakob in Defereggen and Rasen-Antholz at a height of 2,052 meters (6,732 feet).

In addition, there are many bridle and footpaths, some of which have been used since ancient times.