The Hohe Tauern National Park makes up the largest, contiguous and cross-country natural and cultural region in the Alps with its total area of 1,856 km2. The synergy between the core area and the surrounding buffer zone brings about the extraordinary alliance of the unique natural environment with a scenically outstanding cultural landscape.
Nature reserve
The Hohe Tauern National Park is not only the largest national park in the Alps, but also a diverse natural spectacle deserving of special protection.
The reserve is an outstanding example of the Alpine orogeny, characterized by glacial, geological and geomorphological processes important tracks with a diverse form of treasure. The geological features of the Tauern Window, the different rocks and soils as well as the wide climatic range, from oceanic to continental, creating a biological and ecological diversity.
The Hohe Tauern National Park comprises all representative alpine ecosystems (from montane forests to alpine meadows) with their plant and animal communities. The varied landscape is 266 mountain peaks over 3,000 meters (Highest Mountain: Grossglockner 3,798 m), 551 lakes with a size between 35 m² and 27.03 ha (Largest lake: Scrape mountain lake in Hollersbachtal) and about 250 glaciers (Longest glacier: Pasterze marked in the Grossglockner group). A more scenic, but also local cultural enrichment is the traditional sustainable use almwirtschaftliche in the outer zone, which probably dates back to the Bronze Age.
The harsh winter with partial enormous avalanche danger make the Hohe Tauern only for a few, very experienced climbers walked. In summer, however, the National Park opens to visitors - with all its diversity and beauty. For several hundred years poets and painters are inspired to great works, scientists motivated to explore the nature of space and challenged climber to summit special services. More information on the subject of reserve: Nationalparkgesetz
