The Glockenkarkopf (also known as ''Klockerkarkopf'',

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

''Vetta d'Italia'') 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 ...

of in the

Zillertal Alps The Zillertal Alps ( it, Alpi Aurine; german: Zillertaler Alpen) are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. Name The range is named after the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) on its north. Geography The ...

on the border between the Austrian state

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

and the Italian province of

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

Location

The ridgeline of Glockenkarkopf forms the international border extending between two mountain passes, Krimmler Tauern in the west and

Birnlücke The Birnlücke () is the border pass at the western end of the Hohe Tauern mountains in Austria, between the Venediger Group and the adjoining Zillertal Alps. The border between Austria and Italy has run over the pass since 1919. The pass forms th ...

(Forcella del Picco) in the east. Nearby summits include the slightly higher Pfaffenschneidkopf (2918 m) to the southwest, and the

Westliches Zwillingsköpfl The Westliches Zwillingsköpfl (also ''Westlicher Zwillingskopf'', Italian ''Testa Gemella Occidentale'', all of them literally meaning "Western Twin Head"), is a mountain peak on the border of Italy and Austria. The Westliches Zwillingsköpfl i ...

(2835 m) to the northeast.

History

The first known ascent of the Glockenkarkopf was made on 10 July 1895 by Franz Hofer and Fritz Koegl, who published an account of their tour in the journal of the

Österreichischer Alpenverein The Austrian Alpine Club (german: Österreichischer Alpenverein) has about 573,000 members in 196 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbour ...

in 1897., page 318Fritz Koegel: ''Die Reichenspitzgruppe''. In: ''Zeitschrift des Deutschen und Österreichischen Alpenvereins'' 28 (1897), p. 188–228
online
/ref> The summit, despite being part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

at that time, gained a particular significance for the

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

irredentist Irredentism is usually understood as a desire that one state annexes a territory of a neighboring state. This desire is motivated by ethnic reasons (because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to the population of the parent sta ...

, and later

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

Ettore Tolomei Ettore Tolomei (16 August 1865, in Rovereto – 25 May 1952, in Rome) was an Italian nationalist and fascist. He was designated a Member of the Italian Senate in 1923, and ennobled as Conte della Vetta in 1937. Pre-World War I activism Born int ...

, who climbed the Glockenkarkopf with his brother Ferruccio Tolomei, Elvira and Ilda Tomasi, led by the

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

Franz Gasser from

Prettau Prettau (; it, Predoi ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol, a province in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. Geography As of 31 December 2015, it had a population of 571 and an area of .Al ...

, on 16 July 1904. Tolomei believed to have reached the northernmost point of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

in the Alps, and — in accordance with his ''

natural border A natural border is a border between states or their subdivisions which is concomitant with natural formations such as rivers or mountain ranges. The "doctrine of natural boundaries" developed in Western culture in the 18th century being based u ...

theory'' — therefore considered the peak to rightfully belong to the Italian

nation state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...

. Since he also declared himself to be the

first ascensionist In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they ent ...

, Tolomei deemed it legitimate to rename the summit ''Vetta d'Italia'', literally "Peak of Italy". Besides the fact that the Glockenkarkopf had already been ascended before Tolomei, his excursion had yet another flaw: He had misidentified the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea's drainage basin in the Alps, which is in fact the

(2835 m), a bit more than 400 m to the northeast. Tolomei's name is used in Italian maps from 1905 onward. Since 1920, in the aftermath of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the

Austria–Italy border The Austro-Italian border is a land border along the Alps between the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Austria. A border has existed since 1861, but the current one only since 1919. It has been an EU internal border since 1 January 1995. ...

runs indeed over the summit of the Glockenkarkopf. According to Austrian nobleman and political theorist

Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn Erik Maria Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn (; 31 July 1909 – 26 May 1999) was an Austrian political scientist and philosopher. He opposed the ideas of the French Revolution as well as those of communism and Nazism. Describing himself as a "conserv ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

president

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

was poorly knowledgeable about European geography and history, and allegedly had been convinced by the name "Vetta d'Italia" of the legitimacy of Italy's claim to the region., page 205

Toponyms

Researchers pointed out that "Klockerkarkopf" (not Glockenkarkopf) is the older and correct name, being derived from the nearby "Klockeralm". The Italian name "Vetta d'Italia" is widely rejected by the German-speaking population of South Tyrol, given its origin and political implications. In 1989, politician and peace activist

Alexander Langer Alexander Langer (22 February 1946 – 3 July 1995) was an Italian journalist, peace activist, politician, translator, and teacher. Biography Born on 22 February 1946 in Sterzing, South Tyrol, a province of Italy inhabited by a German-speaking ...

symbolically renamed the peak ''Europagipfel – Vetta d’Europa'', literally "Peak of Europe".

Literature

References

External links

Summitpost.org: Detailed description of this mountain
{{Authority control Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Salzburg (state) Mountains of South Tyrol Austria–Italy border International mountains of Europe Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park