The Prealps East of the Mur (german: Randgebirge östlich der Mur) are the easternmost
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
of the
Central Eastern Alps
The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent ...
. They comprise the eastern foothills of the Alpine crest beyond the Mur river and the adjacent southeastern Alpine Foreland .
Boundary and neighbouring ranges
According to the
Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps
The Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (german: Alpenvereinseinteilung der Ostalpen, AVE) is a common division of the Eastern Alps into 75 mountain ranges, based on the Moriggl Classification (ME) first published in 1924 by the German a ...
(AVE), the boundaries of the Prealps East of the Mur are as follows:''Ostalpen.'' In: ''bergalbum.de.'' (Alpenvereinseinteilung der Ostalpen).
* The border with 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 Germany. ...
runs from the
Vienna Woods
The Vienna Woods (german: Wienerwald) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area w ...
in the northeast along the edge of the
Gutenstein Alps
The Gutenstein Alps (german: Gutensteiner Alpen) are a mountain range in the Eastern Alps in Central Europe, and the northeasternmost part of the Northern Limestone Alps, reaching heights over 1,000 m.
Topography
Die Gutenstein Alps are ...
, following the line from the Steinfeld basin via Neunkirchen to
Ternitz
Ternitz is a town and municipality (14,823 inhabitants end 2014) in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of ...
. It continues along the southeastern edge of the
Rax-Schneeberg Group
The Rax-Schneeberg Group (german: Rax-Schneeberg-Gruppe) is a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps on the Styrian-Lower Austrian border in Austria.
Location
According to the official classification of the Eastern Alps by the Alpine Cl ...
, from Ternitz to
Gloggnitz
Gloggnitz is a mountain town in the Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, Austria.
Gloggnitz is situated in the south-western part of the Vienna Basin in Lower Austria. It is surrounded by the highest mountains in Lower Austria, Mount Rax (20 ...
,
Schottwien
Schottwien is a town in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the ...
and over the
Semmering Pass
Semmering () is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria, between which it forms a natural border.
Location
Semmering Pass is located west of Sonnwendstein and Hirschenkogel and east of the P ...
to
Mürzzuschlag
Mürzzuschlag is a town in northeastern Styria, Austria, the capital of the former Mürzzuschlag District. It is located on the Mürz river near the Semmering Pass
Semmering () is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connectin ...
in the
Mürz
The Mürz () is a river of Styria, Austria, with a length of . Its drainage basin is .
The Mürz begins at the confluence of the and near Kaltenbach, Neuberg and the border to Lower Austria. It passes through Mürzzuschlag. Along its course are ...
valley. From here, the border runs along the edge of the
Mürzsteg Alps
The Mürzsteg Alps or Mürztal Alps (german: Mürztaler or Mürzsteger Alpen) are a mountain range in the Eastern Alps (Northern Limestone Alps), which lie in the Austrian state of Styria, with a small part of the range in Lower Austria. The hi ...
up to
Bruck an der Mur
Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the district Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufacturing includes metal products and paper. Br ...
in the west.
* The western border runs along the edge of the
Lavanttal Alps
The Lavanttal Alps (german: Lavanttaler Alpen, sl, Labotniške Alpe) are part of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria and Slovenia, between the river Mur in the north and the Drava in the south.
The mountains are named after the central valley of ...
, separated by the River Mur from Bruck an der Mur via
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
as far as
Spielfeld
Spielfeld ( Slovene: ''Špilje'') is a former municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Straß in Steiermark. It was an Austria-Slovenia b ...
in the south.
* The southeastern boundary is vague, but roughly runs along the
Hungarian Plain
The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, hu, Alföld or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain. (However, the Great Hungarian plain ...
and
Neusiedler See
Lake Neusiedl (german: Neusiedler See), or Fertő ( hu, Fertő (tó); hr, Nežidersko jezero, Niuzaljsko jezero; sl, Nežidersko jezero; sk, Neziderské jazero; cs, Neziderské jezero) is the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe, straddl ...
via
Bruck an der Leitha
Bruck an der Leitha ( bar, label=Central Bavarian, Bruck aun da Leitha; "Bridge on the Leitha") is a town in the state of Lower Austria of Austria on the border of Burgenland, marked by the Leitha river. In 2018 it had a population of around 8,00 ...
to the
Vienna Basin
The Vienna Basin (german: Wiener Becken, cz, Vídeňská pánev, sk, Viedenská kotlina, Hungarian: ''Bécsi-medence'') is a geologically young tectonic burial basin and sedimentary basin in the seam area between the Alps, the Carpathians and t ...
.
Subdivisions
The range is generally subdivided into the following regions:
* ''
Fischbach Alps
The Fischbach Alps (german: Fischbacher Alpen) are part of the Prealps East of the Mur.
Location and countryside
The Fischbach Alps are a gentle, elongated mountain range in the Alps, with the character of a low mountain range and covered in fo ...
Wechsel
The Wechsel is a low mountain range in eastern Austria whose highest summit is the Hochwechsel (). It also has two other summits over 1700 m. The massif forms the border between the states of Lower Austria and Styria for about 15 km, sou ...
'' (Hochwechsel )
* ''
Graz Highlands
The Graz Highlands or Graz Mountains (german: Grazer Bergland) are a low mountain range north of the Styrian state capital of Graz in Austria. It is part of the Central Alps and forms the start of the Prealps East of the Mur. From a geological pe ...
'' ( Hochlantsch )
In addition it includes the following eastern and southeastern
foothills
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...
of the Alps:
* ''
Leitha Mountains
The Leitha Mountains or, less frequently, Leitha Hills (german: Leithagebirge; hu, Lajta-hegység), are a range of hills in Austria lying on the boundary between Lower Austria and Burgenland.
The range is an offshoot of the Alps and forms a conn ...
Bucklige Welt
The Bucklige Welt is a region in southeast Lower Austria. It is also known as the "land of a thousand hills" (''Land der 1000 Hügel'').
Geography
The ''Bucklige Welt'' is a hill country area on the eastern edge of the Alps. Its height varies ...
'' (Eselberg )
* ''
Joglland
The Joglland is a heavily forested low mountain region in northeastern Styria in the districts of Bezirk Hartberg-Fürstenfeld, Hartberg-Fürstenfeld and Bezirk Weiz, Weiz. Today it forms the tourist region of ''Joglland–Waldheimat (Kraftspended ...