Grossglockner

Infobox Mountain
Name=Grossglockner|Photo=Grossglockner from SW.jpg|The Grossglockner from Soth-West
Caption=The Grossglockner from the south-west
Elevation=3,798 metres (12,461 feet) |elevation=3798| Location=Carinthia & East Tyrol, flag|Austria
Range=Hohe Tauern
Prominence = 2,423m ranked 2nd in the Alps
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pushpin_label_position = right
pushpin_map_caption = Location of Grossglockner in Austria
pushpin_mapsize =
coordinates_ref=
latd= 47|latm= 4|lats= 29.52|latNS=N
longd= 12|longm= 41|longs= 42.9|longEW=E
Coordinates=coor dm|47|04.492|N|12|41.715|E|type:mountain
First ascent=28 July 1800, by Sepp and Martin Klotz, Martin Reicher and two others
Easiest route=PD, glacier 35°, UIAA II
Pronunciation=ˌɡʁoːsˈɡlɔknɐ
Listing = Ultra

The Grossglockner ( _sl. Veliki Klek, _de. Großglockner; also "Glockner") is, at 3,798 m above sea level, Austria's highest mountain and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. This makes it, after Mont Blanc, the second most prominent mountain in the Alps, when measured by relative height; see the list of Alpine peaks by prominence.

The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol; it is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge. The Pasterze, Austria's biggest glacier, lies at the Grossglockner's foot.

The characteristically pyramid-shaped peak actually consists of two pinnacles, the "Großglockner" and the "Kleinglockner "(3,700 m; "klein" means "small" in German), separated by a saddle-like formation known as the "Glocknerscharte".

History

The first assault on the Grossglockner in 1799 failed. In the summer of 1800 a second expedition was organized by Franz Xavier Salm-Raifferscheid, Prince-Bishop of Gurk: 62 people, including 47 guides and porters, took part. An Alpine hut named "Salmhütte", at 2750 m, was specially built to furnish shelter for this undertaking.

On 28 July 1800, the summit was successfully ascended by the brothers Martin and Sepp Klotz, Martin Reicher, an unknown carpenter and Matthias Hautzendorfer. They reached the peak by way of the "Hohenwartscharte" and "Glocknerscharte". Orrasch, or Horasch, in 200 years of alpine history known as first ascender, has never climbed the highest Grossglocknersummit. [Marianne Klemun, "... mit Madame Sonne konferieren. Die Großglockner-Expeditionen 1799 und 1800. Das Kärntner Landesarchiv 25, Klagenfurt 2000, ISBN 3-900531-47-1.] There is also a direct climbing route from the Pasterze glacier to the "Glocknerscharte": the Pallavicini Trough. On 18 August 1876 Hans Tribusser hacked out 2500 steps in the 55° steep ice. G. Bäuerle, J. Kramser, two other guides from Heiligenblut, and Alfred Markgraf Pallavicini followed his track.

Hochalpenstraße

The scenic Grossglockner High Alpine Road ("Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße") between Heiligenblut and Bruck was built between 1930 and 1935 according to plans of the engineer Franz Wallack and reaches a height of 2572 m (8438 ft). It is one of the main tourist attractions in Austria and has over 1.2 million visitors every year;Fact|date=March 2008 however, it is closed in the winter.

References

External links

* [http://www.grossglockner.com Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse]
* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150224/grossglockner.html Grossglockner] at [http://www.summitpost.org SummitPost.org]
* [http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcyclegps.php?n=B107-Bruck-An-Der-Grossglocknerstrasse-Winklern-Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße-&code=1ef10 Großglockner Hochalpenstraße : One of the Best Motorcycling Roads in Europe]

Computer-generated virtual panoramas
* [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/Grossglockner-N.gifNorth]
* [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/Grossglockner-S.gifSouth]
* [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html Index]
* [http://zeitcam.com/webcam/grossglockner Grossglockner webcam with daily time-lapse animations]