The Großer Priel () is, at 2,515

metres above the Adriatic Metres above the Adriatic ( it, Metri sopra l'Adriatico, german: Meter über Adria, Serbo-Croatian: ''Metara iznad Jadrana'') is the vertical datum used in Austria, in the former Yugoslavian states of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, ...

(8,251 ft), the highest mountain of the

Totes Gebirge The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is derived from the German words ''tot'' meaning "dead", referring to ...

range, located in the Traunviertel region of

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

."Großer Priel, Austria"
Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-11-01. It ranks among the ultra prominent peaks of the Alps. Part of the

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germa ...

, its steep

Dachstein Hoher Dachstein () is a strongly karstic mountain in central Austria and the second-highest mountain in the Northern Limestone Alps. It is situated at the border of Upper Austria and Styria, and is the highest point in each of those states. Pa ...

cliffs form the northeastern rim of a large karst plateau and are visible from afar across the

Alpine Foreland The Alpine Foreland, less commonly called the Bavarian Foreland,Dickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, pp. 585-586. . Bavarian Plateau or Bavarian Alpine Foreland (german: Bayerisches ...

First mentioned as ''Pruell'' in a 1584 deed, it was denoted as ''mons altissimus totius provintzia'' in the 1667 map of

by geographer

Georg Matthäus Vischer Georg Matthäus Vischer (22 April 1628 – 13 December 1696) was an Austrian topographer, cartographer, engraver and parish priest in Leonstein (Upper Austria) and Vienna. Vischer was born in Wenns (Tyrol). Despite his clerical vocati ...

. The prominent peak was also mentioned in the travelogues of Archduke John of Austria in 1810; a first touristic ascent is documented in 1817, followed by the climb of

Archduke Louis of Austria Archduke Louis, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia and Prince of Tuscany (Louis Joseph Anton Johann; 13 December 1784 – 21 December 1864), was the 15th child of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Grand Duke of Tuscan ...

in 1819. A summit cross was erected in 1870, at the time when the Totes Gebirge range was gradually opened to mountaineers by the

Austrian Tourist Club The Austrian Tourist Club (german: Österreichische Touristenklub) or ÖTK is the second oldest and third largest Alpine club in Austria. The foundation of the club goes back to an initiative by Gustav Jäger, publisher of ''Der Tourist'', the f ...

. Today, the most common routes of ascent are from

Hinterstoder Hinterstoder is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria. The village is located close on the border to the federal state Styria and 600 m above sea level. Hinterstoder is surrounded by several mountains: ...

via the Prielschutzhaus, an

alpine hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...

managed by the Austrian Alpine Club, on the south side of the mountain, and from the Alm valley via Welser Hütte on the north side. There are also a number of paths leading from the Großer Priel summit to the rest of the Totes Gebirge plateau.

References

Mountains of Upper Austria Mountains of the Alps Totes Gebirge {{UpperAustria-geo-stub

See also

References