The Hochkönig is a mountain group containing the highest
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 ...
(Mount Hochkönig) in the
Berchtesgaden Alps
The Berchtesgaden Alps (german: Berchtesgadener Alpen) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. The central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Land district of southe ...
,
Salzburgerland
Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a States of Austria, state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from i ...
,
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 ...
. The Berchtesgaden Alps form 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 Germany. ...
.
Location
It lies to the west of the town of
Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen () is a town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. It is an important traffic junction located both on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line and at the Tauern Autobahn, a major highway route cr ...
in the
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 ...
n state of
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 ...
, 42 km due south of the city of
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 ...
. Hochkönig is separated from the rest of the Berchtesgaden Alps, and more specifically from the
Steinernes Meer
The Steinernes Meer (literally "Rocky Sea") is a high karst plateau in the Northern Limestone Alps. As one of the nine sub-ranges of the Berchtesgaden Alps the Steinernes Meer belongs partly to Bavaria and partly to Salzburg.
Location
To the no ...
(''stone ocean'') by the mountain pass ''
Torscharte'' at 2246 m. The summit itself is at the southern edge of a large
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 whe ...
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
, which is covered by the
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
known as the "
Übergossene Alm
The Übergossene Alm is the name of the summit region of the Hochkönig (2,941 m) in the Berchtesgaden Alps. It contains the remains of a glacier that used to cover almost the entire summit plateau; in 1888 around 5.5 km² of the platea ...
", however this glacier is currently shrinking at a rate of 6.2% per year, and is likely to vanish in the relatively near future.
The edge of the summit plateau is surrounded by an almost circular chain of mountains:
*
Hochseiler
The Hochseiler (also ''Hochsailer'') is a mountain, , in the Hochkönig massif within the Berchtesgaden Alps. It lies on the boundary between the districts of Zell am See and St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
The summit ca ...
,
*
Lammkopf
The Lamkopf (also ''Lammkopf'') is a mountain, , in the Hochkönig massif within the Berchtesgaden Alps. It lies in the Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
The peak can be climbed from the north the crossing between the Hochkönig an ...
,
* Hochkönig,
*
Großer Bratschenkopf,
*
Kleiner Bratschenkopf,
*
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 im ...
,
*
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 Sch ...
, , und
*
Floßkogel,
*
Eibleck,
*
Hohes Tenneck,
Hut
In 1898, the Österreichischer Touristenklub (''Austrian Tourism Club'') built 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 d ...
at the summit. The current building dates from 1985 and can sleep nearly one hundred mountaineers. The massif is also home to the
High King Mountain Ski Area.
Hochkonig
SummitPost. Accessed April 5, 2012.
Gallery
Image:Hochkönig Dientner Sattel B164.jpg, Hochkönig seen from the approach to Dientner Sattel at the B164
Image:Hochkönig.jpg, The karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
ic plateau north of the summit
Image:HochkoenigFromSchneeberg.jpg, Hochkönig from the south in winter
Image:SunnyFeb1.jpg, Hochkönig view from Hinterthal
Image:Hinterthal_View4.jpg, Hochkönig from the Aberg
Image:Hochkonig_from_the_air.JPG, Hochkönig from the air
Image:Hochkoning_Rear.jpg, Hochkönig from the rear
See also
* Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen () is a town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. It is an important traffic junction located both on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line and at the Tauern Autobahn, a major highway route cr ...
* 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 ...
* Salzburgerland
Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a States of Austria, state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from i ...
* Berchtesgaden Alps
The Berchtesgaden Alps (german: Berchtesgadener Alpen) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. The central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Land district of southe ...
References
External links
High King Mountain Ski Area (Official - English)
Mountains of the Alps
Mountains of Salzburg (state)
Berchtesgaden Alps
{{Salzburg-geo-stub