The Ãœbergossene Alm is the summit region of the
Hochkönig (2,941 m) in the
Berchtesgaden Alps
The Berchtesgaden Alps (, ) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. It is crossed by the Austria–Germany border: the central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Lan ...
. It contains the remains of a
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
that used to cover almost the entire summit plateau; in 1888 around 5.5 km
2 of the plateau was covered by an ice sheet. Since then the glacial surface has melted until it now covers just 1.5 km
2 and the glacier has split into three, small
crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rate ...
-free areas. The name of the glacier goes back to a local
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
.
High plateau and its perimeter mountains
The ''Hochkönig'' is the southernmost and highest mountain block in the Berchtesgaden Alps. Unlike the
Watzmann
The Watzmann () is a mountain in the Berchtesgaden Alps south of the village of Berchtesgaden. It is the third highest in Germany, and the highest located entirely on German territory.
Three main peaks array on a N-S axis along a ridge on the ...
massif about 20 kilometres to the north, it has a plateau that tilts gently towards the north and covers about 15 km
2. Only in the south does it fall steeply away in
rock face
In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are comm ...
s up to 1,000 metres high (the ''Mandlwände'').
[Zitiert nac]
''Die übergossene Alm am Hochkönig''
auf SAGEN.at
The edge of the plateau is formed by several high
two-thousander
Two-thousanders are mountains that have a height of at least 2,000 metres above sea level, but less than 3,000 metres. The term is used in Alpine circles, especially in Europe (e.g. German: ''Zweitausender'').
The two photographs show two ...
s in the shape of a giant oval. Apart from the main summit, the most prominent of the remaining peaks (in clockwise order) are the:
Großer and Kleiner Bratschenkopf, Kummetstein,
Lamkopf and
Hochseiler (all over 2,850 m) and to the north/east to Tenneck, Floßkogel and the
Schoberköpfe
The Schoberköpfe are several ridge-shaped peaks, arranged along the eastern edge of the Hochkönig plateau in the Berchtesgaden Alps, and which lie in a semi-circular arc that opens towards the east facing the Salzach valley:
* Southwestern Sc ...
(2,435 to 2,710 m). To the east of the last-named is the imposing
Torsäule
The Torsäule () is a very steep, about 500-metre-high limestone formation on the eastern flank of the Hochkönig massif in the Berchtesgaden Alps.
The imposing column (''Torsäule'' means "gateway column"), which bears a summit cross, lies imme ...
, which the climb from the
Arthurhaus hut runs past; the Torsäule marks the end of the plateau above the side valleys 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 (river), Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limeston ...
.
Sources
External links
Legend of the Ãœbergossene Alm
Glaciers of Austria
Glaciers of the Alps
Berchtesgaden Alps
GUbergossene Alm
{{austria-glacier-stub