Drei Schwestern (The Three Sisters) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

located on the border of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

. It forms a natural boundary between Liechtenstein and the

n state of

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

. The Three Sisters are a three peaked mountain chain in the Rätikon, a mountain range of the Western Central Alps. The highest peak, the ''Great Sister'', is 2,053m above sea level. The ''Middle Sister'', located north-east of it reaches a height of 2,048m, and the north-eastern ''Little Sister'' 2,034m high. The three peaks mark the border between

Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to: Places * Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria ** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria * Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the municip ...

in Austria and Liechtenstein. Through a well developed road system they are easily accessible and are often climbed. The first ascent was probably made by hunters. The first recorded ascent was on the 10 June 1870 by John Sholto Douglass from Thüringen, Vorarlberg, with a hunter named Wieser from

Frastanz Frastanz is a market town in the district of Feldkirch in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. In former times it was known for its production of tobacco. Geography Frastanz is located 510 meters above sea level. It is 32.25 km2 in ...

Location and Surroundings

The chain of the Three Sisters is located in the extreme northwest of the Rätikon. The three peaks form a ridge that runs from north to south. To the west, the Three Sisters fall into the

Alpine Rhine Valley The Alpine Rhine Valley (german: Alpenrheintal) is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the part of the Alpine Rhine (german: Alpenrhein ) between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and the Alpine Rhine's mouth at ...

, in the east to the Saminatal. The ridge to the south leads to the border summit Garsellakopf, and further south to Kuhgrat, which is entirely in Liechtenstein The area is well developed for hikers through an extensive network of paths. The main peak can also be reached by rock climbing routes ranging from UIAA difficulty levels II to V. The north wall of the middle sister has routes with a UIAA level VI difficulty.

Conservation

The Vorarlberg region of the Three Sisters was granted a protected landscape status in 1976.

Sources and Maps

Hermann Braendle: Rätikon Reader, weiter Himmel, wilder Fels; Bergwandern im Rätikon. Bucher, Hohenems / Wien 2009, . Manfred Hunziker: Ringelspitz / Arosa / Rätikon, Vom Pass dil Segnas zum Schlappiner Joch, Verlag des SAC, Bern 2010, (= Alpine Touren / Bündner Alpen). Günther Flaig: Alpenvereinsführer Rätikon, Bergverlag Rother, München 1989, Landeskarte der Schweiz 1:25.000, Blatt 1136: Drei Schwestern. Film Filmaufnahmen auf den Drei Schwestern Cinedoku Vorarlberg

Film Filmaufnahmen auf den Drei Schwestern Cinedoku Vorarlberg

Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Liechtenstein Austria–Liechtenstein border International mountains of Europe {{Liechtenstein-geo-stub