The Kitzbühel Alps (german: Kitzbüheler Alpen or ''Kitzbühler Alpen'') are a
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 ari ...
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 adjacen ...
surrounding the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
of
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühe ...
in
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
,
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 ...
. Geologically they are part of the western slate zone (
greywacke zone
The greywacke zone is a band of Paleozoic metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that forms an east-west band through the Austrian Alps.
The greywacke zone crops out between the Mesozoic rocks of the Northern Calcareous Alps and the Austroalpine and P ...
).
Location
Two-thirds of the Kitzbühel Alps lie within the Austrian province of Tyrol, the remaining third is in Salzburg province. They are about long from east to west and 25 to 35 km wide. They extend from the Ziller valley and
Tux Alps
The Tux Alps (german: Tuxer Alpen) or Tux Prealps (''Tuxer Voralpen'') are a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps, which in turn form part of the Eastern Alps within Central Europe. They are located entirely within the Austrian federal state ...
in the west to the
Saalach
The Saalach is a river in Austria and Germany, and a left tributary of the Salzach.
Course
The river begins, as the stream, in the Austrian state of Tyrol in the Kitzbühel Alps at the lake below the high Gamshag. From there it flows ini ...
river and
Zell am See
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its ski resorts and shoreline on Lake Zell. While Zell a ...
on Lake Zell (''Zellersee'') in the east. They are bordered to the south by the Zillertal Alps and the
High Tauern
The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of ...
mountain range on the other side of the
Salzach
The Salzach (Austrian: ˆsaltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central ...
River, on the north by the
Inn River
, image = UnterinntalWest.JPG
, image_caption = Lower Inn valley from Rattenberg castle
, source1_location = Swiss Alps (Lägh dal Lunghin)
, source1_elevation =
, source1_coordinates=
, mouth_location = Danube (Passau)
, mo ...
and 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 ...
.
The boundary of the region runs along the Salzach valley via Zell am See, where the Salzach swings north, to Saalfelden. Its northern boundary runs from east to west from the Saalfelden basin along the valley of the Leoganger Ache to the
Grießen Pass
Grießen Pass (el. 975 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between the ''States of Austria, federal states'' of Salzburg (state), Salzburg and Tyrol (state), Tyrol.
It connects the Kitzbühel Alps and the Leogang Steinberge.
The ro ...
and from there through the
Pillersee
Pillersee is a lake in the Northern Limestone Alps in Tyrol, Austria.
The Pillersee is in the Pillerseevalley near the village of Sankt Ulrich am Pillersee at 835 m above sea level. It occupies an area of . Inflows are several streams that orig ...
Wörgl
Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany.
Population
Transport
Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munic ...
and Kufstein. Its northwestern boundary is formed by the valley of the Inn between Wörgl and Jenbach.
The Kitzbühel Alps are divided by the Kitzbüheler Ache into the Glemmtal Alps in the east (Salzburg) and the Kelchsau Alps in the west. The highest summit in the Kitzbühel Alps is the
Kreuzjoch
Kreuzjoch (German: ''cross col'') is the name of many summits and several mountain passes, predominantly in the Eastern Alps.
Summits:
* Hohes Kreuzjoch, 2992 m, in the southern Ötztal Alps in South Tyrol
* Kreuzjochkogel, 2746 m, between the S ...
in the southwest of the mountain range northwest of Gerlos at 2558 metres
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
Th ...
.Not to be confused with the nearby mountain of the same name (2071 m) north-northwest of Gerlos. The general height of the peaks descends gradually from around 2500 m in the west to around 2000 m in the east. Other important summits are the Western Salzachgeier (2,469 m), the Kröndlhorn (2,444 m), the Großer Rettenstein (2,366 m), the Geißstein (2,363 m), the Wildseeloder (2,118 m), the
Großer Beil
The Großer Beil, is a high mountain at the head of the Wildschönau valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It belongs to the Kitzbühel Alps and is the highest summit on the ridge that separates the Wildschönau from the neighbouring valley of ...
(2,309 m), the
Großer Galtenberg
The Großer Galtenberg is the highest mountain in the Alpbach valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol and belongs to the Kitzbühel Alps. It is high, is located at the southern end of the Alpbach valley and may be approached from the Alpbach subur ...
Hohe Salve
The Hohe Salve is a well-known mountain located between Kufstein, Wörgl and Kitzbühel in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is part of the Kitzbühel Alps and is also nicknamed ''the Rigi of the Tyrol''. Its summit is high,Hahnenkamm (1,712 m) and the
Schmittenhöhe
The Schmittenhöhe is a mountain, high, on the eastern edge of the Kitzbühel Alps. It is the local mountain of the district capital of Zell am See, from where a cable car was built in 1927 by Adolf Bleichert & Co. that runs to the summit. The c ...
(1,965 m). Popular mountain destinations on the edge of the Inn valley are the Pölven (1,595 m) and the Gratlspitz (1,899 m).
The Kitzbühel Alps are found in the regions of St. Johann in Tirol,
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühe ...
and its environs,
Pillerseetal
The Pillersee Valley (german: Pillerseetal) is a valley in the district of Kitzbühel in the Austrian state of Tyrol, on the border with Salzburg state.
Location and landscape
The Pillersee Valley is characterised, like its neighbouring valleys ...
,
Brixental
The Brixental ("Brixen Valley") is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km (18.6 mi). Near Wörgl (513 m AMSL; 318 mi) the Brixental and Inn valleys meet. The Brixen ...
Alpbach
Alpbach (, ) is a town in western Austria in the state of Tyrol.
History
The earliest written record of the name Alpbach comes from 1150, although human settlement is known to have begun there before and around the year 1000, and a bronze axe f ...
.
The Kitzbühel Alps Tourist Region only covers part of the geographical Kitzbühel Alps.
The Kitzbühel Alps have relatively few rugged mountain tops and are well suited to walking and skiing. There are several large ski resorts in the area both in the Tyrolean and Salzburg regions. The Dienten Mountains are a geologically-related extension of the mountains to the east. The Pinzgau Ridgeway (''Pinzgauer Höhenweg'') runs through both ranges in an east-west direction. Many ski route and the Saalach Valley Ridgeway (''Saalachtaler Höhenweg'') run through the Kitzbühel Alps.
Neighbouring ranges
The mountain ranges that surround the Kitzbühel Alps are:
* Kaiser Mountains
*
Lofer Mountains
The Lofer Mountains or Loferer MountainsHeuss, Theodor (1955). ''Preludes to life: early memoirs'', University of Michigan, p. 143. (german: Loferer Steinberge, lit. "Lofer Rock Mountains") are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps in th ...
Salzburg Slate Alps
The Salzburg Slate Alps (german: Salzburger Schieferalpen) are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Situated within the greywacke zone, they could be regarded either as part of the Northern Limestone Alps or of ...
*
Glockner Group
The Glockner Group Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, p.409, . (german: Glocknergruppe) is a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps in the Eastern Alps, and is located in the centre section of the High ...
*
Granatspitze Group
The Granatspitze Group (german: Granatspitzgruppe), sometimes also the Granatspitz Group, is a sub-group of the Central Alps within the Eastern Alps. Together with the Ankogel Group, the Goldberg Group, the Glockner Group, the Schober Group, ...
Tux Alps
The Tux Alps (german: Tuxer Alpen) or Tux Prealps (''Tuxer Voralpen'') are a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps, which in turn form part of the Eastern Alps within Central Europe. They are located entirely within the Austrian federal state ...
*
Brandenberg Alps
The Brandenberg Alps (german: Brandenberger Alpen) are a sub-group of the Northern Limestone Alps, that run in front of the Eastern Alps for their whole length. They lie entirely in Austria between Achensee in Tyrol, the Inn Valley and the Bavaria ...
Geology
The Kitzbühel Alps belong to the
greywacke zone
The greywacke zone is a band of Paleozoic metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that forms an east-west band through the Austrian Alps.
The greywacke zone crops out between the Mesozoic rocks of the Northern Calcareous Alps and the Austroalpine and P ...
and are mainly composed of
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
and phyllites. The mountain top profiles and the cirques are relatively smooth; their slopes mostly green with numerous
alpine meadow
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
s (''Almwiesen''). Nevertheless,
rock formation
A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sedime ...
s of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
and
dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
do occur e.g. on the Großer Rettenstein.
n the western part of the Kitzbühel Alps most of the valleys run in a north-south direction; in the east they are predominantly oriented east-west. The Alpine geographical reason for this is the striking longitudinal trench of the river
Salzach
The Salzach (Austrian: ˆsaltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central ...
. This so-called Tauern Northern Edge Fault (''Tauernnordrand-Störung'') played an important role during Alpine folding and even today forms a distinct landscape and geological boundary with the ''three-thousanders'' of the
High Tauern
The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of ...
.
The western border of the mountain range is, petrographically, less clear because here its transition to the ''Innsbruck'' quartz phyllites is not clear-cut. By contrast, in the northwest and north (Inn valley near Schwaz,
Brixental
The Brixental ("Brixen Valley") is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km (18.6 mi). Near Wörgl (513 m AMSL; 318 mi) the Brixental and Inn valleys meet. The Brixen ...
and the Steinernes Meer) the difference between the gently folded slate and the limestone and dolomite rock of the Limestone Alps hits the observer in the eye.
The major rocks of the Kitzbühel Alps divide into two groups by age, the older rocks probably dating to the
Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya.
T ...
period. For example, the deep underground complex of Wildschönau slate is quite uniform and has no fossils at all, just volcanic deposits. Above it lies weakly metamorphosed
volcanic rock
Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic ...
, up to 600 metres thick, made up of quartz porphyroids and
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
, mainly in the west (
Hohe Salve
The Hohe Salve is a well-known mountain located between Kufstein, Wörgl and Kitzbühel in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is part of the Kitzbühel Alps and is also nicknamed ''the Rigi of the Tyrol''. Its summit is high,Hahnenkamm and Wildseeloder).
Over the porphyroids lie various horizontal beds of slate from the
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleoz ...
period that are often clayey-sandy on top. In the vicinity of Kitzbühel itself, Silurian limestones may also be found and, to the west, the grey, coarse-grained Schwaz dolomite which transitions towards the east, near Leogang, into Spielberg dolomite. Also represented is the post-
Variscan
The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nomenclature
The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...
period, with its Rotliegendes (red slates), and thick
sandstones
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
from the ''Permoskyth''. All these successive layers of the greywacke zone were probably - together with those 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 ...
- overturned to the northern edge of the Alps during the time of Alpine orogeny from a region of deposition far to the south.
Sports
Their mainly gently rolling nature makes the Kitzbühel Alps suitable for alpine farming,
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
and
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...
.
Tourism
The Kitzbühel Alps are a very popular tourist destination. In addition to innumerable managed Alpine pastures and inns, there is also a large number of mountain huts belonging to the various Alpine clubs.
* Alpenrose Hut
* Neue Bamberger Hut
* Bochumer Hut
* Brechhornhaus (private)
* Bürgl Hut (private)
* Erich Sulke Hut
* Erla Hut (private)
* Fritz Hintermayr Hut (private)
* Hochhörndler Hut (private)
* Hochwildalm Hut
* Kobinger Hut (private)
* Oberland Hut
* Pinzgau Hut (Friends of Nature)
* Steinberghaus Inn (''Gasthaus Steinberghaus'')
* Wildkogelhaus (private)
* Wildseeloderhaus
* Wolkensteinhaus
Highest peaks
Their highest peaks are concentrated to the south-western corner and reach rather modest 2,500 m, the highest being the
Kreuzjoch
Kreuzjoch (German: ''cross col'') is the name of many summits and several mountain passes, predominantly in the Eastern Alps.
Summits:
* Hohes Kreuzjoch, 2992 m, in the southern Ötztal Alps in South Tyrol
* Kreuzjochkogel, 2746 m, between the S ...
at 2,558 metres above sea level. Roughly in the centre of the range lies the famous
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...
of
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühe ...
, the venue of the Hahnenkamm race, one of the most spectacular and well-known
ski
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...
races in the world.
The highest summits in the range are (in order of height above the Adriatic):
*
Kreuzjoch
Kreuzjoch (German: ''cross col'') is the name of many summits and several mountain passes, predominantly in the Eastern Alps.
Summits:
* Hohes Kreuzjoch, 2992 m, in the southern Ötztal Alps in South Tyrol
* Kreuzjochkogel, 2746 m, between the S ...
Großer Galtenberg
The Großer Galtenberg is the highest mountain in the Alpbach valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol and belongs to the Kitzbühel Alps. It is high, is located at the southern end of the Alpbach valley and may be approached from the Alpbach subur ...
Großer Beil
The Großer Beil, is a high mountain at the head of the Wildschönau valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It belongs to the Kitzbühel Alps and is the highest summit on the ridge that separates the Wildschönau from the neighbouring valley of ...
, 2,309 m.
*
Sonnenjoch
The Sonnenjoch is a mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps in Tyrol. The summit has a height of
The Sonnenjoch (also Sonnjoch) lies between Alpbachtal, Wildschönau and Kelchsau. Its summit borders on three Tirolean districts (Kitzbühel, Kufstein, S ...
Gamshag
The Gamshag is a mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol whose summit reaches a height of .
The Gamshag is located northwest of the ''Torsee'' lake, the source of the River Saalach. The prominent peak of the ''Tristkogel' ...
, 2,178 m.
*
Wiedersberger Horn
The Wiedersberger Horn is a mountain in the Alpbachtal valley in Austria. Its summit is . The Wiedersberger Horn is accessible from the Alpbachtal via cableways and the mountainsides are used as a skiing area. In winter it may be climbed withou ...
Schmittenhöhe
The Schmittenhöhe is a mountain, high, on the eastern edge of the Kitzbühel Alps. It is the local mountain of the district capital of Zell am See, from where a cable car was built in 1927 by Adolf Bleichert & Co. that runs to the summit. The c ...
Hohe Salve
The Hohe Salve is a well-known mountain located between Kufstein, Wörgl and Kitzbühel in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is part of the Kitzbühel Alps and is also nicknamed ''the Rigi of the Tyrol''. Its summit is high,Roßkopf, 1,731 m
* Hahnenkamm, 1,712 m.
* Pölven, 1,595 m.
Gallery
File:Salzachgeier.jpg, The Salzachgeier, m
File:Kitzbüheler Alpen 17310050.jpg, View from the Salzachgeier over the Kelchsau Alps
File:Kitzbühler-Horn.jpg, The Kitzbüheler Horn
File:Spielberghorn.jpg, The Spielberghorn from the east
See also
*
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
*
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
*
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; th ...
*
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühe ...
*
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
*
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from its eponymous capital — the city of ...
Footnotes and references
Sources
* Freytag-Berndt ''Kitzbüheler Alpen und Pinzgau''. Hiking map 1:100.000 (Sheet 38) and hut guide, Geografa Vienna-Innsbruck-Munich-Bozen.
* R.Oberhauser (Hsg.): ''Der geologische Aufbau Österreichs'', Chapters 3.6.5, 3.6.6 und 3.13. Geologische Bundesanstalt Vienna / Springer-Verlag Vienna/ New York 1980