Hohe Tauern National Park
Nature preserve in the midst of the Austrian Alps
In the heart of the Austrian Alps, the Hohe Tauern National Park offers a protected habitat for threatened animal and plant species. Spanning some 1800 km2, the Hohe Tauern National Park is the second largest sanctuary in all of Europe. This is a place where you can experience nature from its most beautiful perspective: Austria’s highest mountain peaks and biggest glaciers, meadows strewn with colourful alpine flowers, imposing rock faces and refreshing waterfalls. A centuries-old natural and cultural landscape, formed by the ice ages and the powers of the seasons, all just waiting to be discovered by you!
The Grossglockner - Austria’s highest mountain, standing a proud 3,798 metres tall – awaits you. At its foot lies the longest glacial tongue in Austria, the “Pasterze”. Via the Grossglockner High-Alpine Road, you can easily reach these impressive and truly unique mountain landscapes. Once at the top, you will be able to peer through telescopes and observe ibex and marmots as they bustle about their business in this rugged rocky world.
Winter in the mountains is long. All the more intensively, then, does the life force of the plants and animals burgeon during the short mountain summer. Ibex, bearded vultures, marmots and many more, soak up the life-giving sunshine on the warm, rocky plateau. Time is short to raise their offspring and to put on those extra pounds necessary to see them through the winter ahead.
Experience a rich hill-country heritage that has been nurtured by mankind through the generations. Grazing of the mountain pastures and the regular harvesting of mountain hay has resulted in a species-rich community of animals and plants, and a landscape which is quite unique. This is a place where you have your finger on nature’s pulse, where you feel first-hand the power of the wind and the weather. Where mankind is part of the powerful, impressive ebb and flow of creation itself.