Lechquellen Mountains
| Lechquellen Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Lechquellen Mountains (highlighted in yellow) within the Eastern Alps |
|
 View of Untere Wildgrubenspitze , Roggalspitze and Rhonspitze |
|
| Highest peak | Untere Wildgrubenspitze ( 2753 m above sea level ) |
| location | Vorarlberg , Austria |
| part of |
North Tyrolean Limestone Alps, Northern Eastern Alps |
| Classification according to |
AVE : 3a SOIUSA : 21.II |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 11 ′ N , 9 ° 59 ′ E |
The Lechquellen Mountains are a small group of mountains in the Northern Limestone Alps in the Eastern Alps . It is located entirely in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and includes the upper reaches of the Lech with its horseshoe-shaped source streams and the upper Große Walsertal .
Naming
The name "Lechquellengebirge" is appropriate: The larger part of the mountain group includes the young Lech with its two source streams Formarinbach and Spullerbach . Nonetheless, it is a term of art , created by Walther Flaig at a time when the mountaineering development of the Alps was largely complete. In the past, the mountain group was either referred to as the Klostertal Alps or included in the Lechtal Alps east of the Flexen Pass. In contrast to this, there are the Alpine groups, which were either named after centuries or even millennia-old names, such as the Rätikon or the neighboring Verwall , or they are named after valleys known from ancient times, such as the Ötztal Alps .
Boundary
From the Alpine town of Bludenz , the border runs in the south along the Alfenz in Klostertal to the Flexenpass . From there it continues to the east along the Zürsbach, which flows into the Lech River in Lech, to the confluence of the Krumbach. The Krumbach leads up the border in the north to the Hochtannbergpass . From there, the border goes along the Seebach over the village of Schröcken and further along the Bregenzer Ach to Au and the confluence of the Argenbach, then up the Argenbach to just before Damüls and further along the Faschinabach in the west to the Faschinajoch . From there it goes down into the Große Walsertal and along the Lutz to the confluence with the Ill, which leads back to the Alfenz estuary in Bludenz.
The Flexenpass connects the Lechquellen Mountains with the Lechtal Alps. The Hochtannbergpass forms the connection to the Allgäu Alps. The Faschinajoch establishes the connection to the Bregenz Forest Mountains.
Walther Flaig , a well-known alpine and guide author from Vorarlberg, had a decisive influence on the definition and delimitation of the Lechquellen Mountains . The designation and division created by him was taken over by the AVE , the Alpine Club division of the Eastern Alps .
The Lechquellen Mountains border on the following other mountain groups in the Alps:
- Bregenz Forest Mountains (in the north)
- Allgäu Alps (in the northeast)
- Lechtal Alps (in the east)
- Verwall group (in the south)
- Rätikon (in the southwest)
Subgroups
The Alpine Club Guide Lechquellengebirge divides the mountain group into the following subgroups:
- Zitterklapfen group (up to 2403 m) with Hochkünzel ridge (up to 2397 m)
- The Braunarlspitze group (up to 2649 m)
- The Mohnenfluh ridge on the Tannberg (up to 2542 m)
- The Karhorn group on the Hochtannberg (up to 2416 m)
- Johannesgruppe im Diesner and Gadner Schröf (up to 2573 m)
- The Stafelvedergrat in the Großwalsertal (at the Breithorn 2081 m)
- The Klostertaler Gams Freiheit (up to 2211 m)
- The Formarin-Schafberg group (up to 2413 m)
- The Rote Wand group on Lake Formarinsee (up to 2704 m)
- The Saladinagrat on Formarin ( Fensterlewand : m 2329)
- The Gehrengratgruppe at the Lechquellen ( Pöngertlekopf and Pfafferneck : 2539 m)
- The Spuller Schafberg group (up to 2679 m)
- The group of the Wildgrubenspitzen (up to 2753 m)
- The Erzberggrat at Klostertal ( Wasenspitze : 2665 m)
summit
The 10 highest peaks of the Lechquellen Mountains:
- Lower Wildgrubenspitze , 2753 m above sea level A.
- Rote Wand , 2704 m above sea level A.
- Great Grätlis ridge , 2702 m above sea level A.
- Middle Wildgrubenspitze, east summit, 2696 m above sea level. A.
- Mittlere Wildgrubenspitze, Mittelgipfel, 2695 m above sea level. A.
- Rote Wand, Ostgipfel, also called Junferngipfel, 2688 m above sea level. A.
- Nadel, 2685 m above sea level A.
- Spuller Schafberg , 2679 m above sea level A.
- Roggalspitze , 2673 m above sea level A.
- Wasenspitze , 2665 m above sea level A.
Other well-known peaks of the Lechquellen Mountains, arranged according to their height:
- Grubenjochspitze , 2659 m above sea level A.
- Braunarlspitze , 2649 m above sea level A.
- High light , 2600 m above sea level A.
- West Johanneskopf , 2573 m above sea level A.
- Omeshorn, 2557 m above sea level A.
- Mohnenfluh , 2542 m above sea level A.
- Pöngertlekopf and Pfaffeneck , both 2539 m above sea level. A. (Doppelkuppe)
- Karhorn , 2416 m above sea level A.
- Formarin-Schafberg , 2413 m above sea level A. (west of the Formarinsee )
- Zitterklapfen , 2403 m above sea level A.
- Hochkünzelspitze , 2397 m above sea level A.
- Zug high light 2371 m above sea level A.
- Fensterlewaqnd, 2329 m above sea level A.
- Roggelskopf , 2284 m above sea level A.
- Feuerstein , 2271 m above sea level A.
- Warther Horn , 2257 m above sea level A.
- Weißes Rössle , 2214 m above sea level A.
- Chamois freedom , 2211 m above sea level A.
- Breithorn , 2081 m above sea level A. , east-northeast of Eating
- Breithorn , 2009 m above sea level A. , southeast of the Fraßen
- Hoher Fraßen , 1979 m above sea level. A.
Passes and crossings
Apart from the passes mentioned, which connect the Lechquellen Mountains with the neighboring groups, there is no crossing within the Lechquellen Mountains that is accessible by car.
Transitions that are important for tourism include
- Rauhes Joch (1918 m, near the Freiburger Hütte , 1931 m above sea level , accessible from the east via a road, can also be crossed by mountain bike)
- Spullersee ( 1827 m above sea level , transition from Lech Valley to Klostertal )
- Stierlochjoch ( 2011 m above sea level , access from the Lech Valley to the Ravensburger Hut )
- Gamsboden (location of the Göppinger Hütte , 2245 m above sea level , wide karst landscape, transition from the Lech Valley to the Great Walser Valley )
geology
Similar to the northern and eastern neighboring areas, the Lechquellen Mountains are characterized by a great geological diversity. The predominant type of rock is lime ( Oberratskalk ), with large deposits of karstified areas. In addition, there are also main dolomites as well as marl and marl of the Lias .
landscape
The landscape of the Lechquellengebirge is characterized by the contrast between the rather gentle, northeast-sloping upper Lech Valley , which drains to the Danube, and the deep and sometimes craggy valleys that drain towards the Rhine, where the water cascades down steep steps in numerous waterfalls. The watershed runs around the Lech springs in the shape of a horseshoe, and the greater gradient towards the Rhine means that (in geologically relatively short periods of time) more and more streams are tapped by the Rhine and thus the watershed is continuously shifted towards the Lech springs. A similar phenomenon occurs south and west of the Danube springs (through the Wutach ).
The horseshoe-shaped watershed also carries the highest peaks, with the summit slope sloping from southeast to northwest towards the Bregenz Forest .
The region's climate is rainy and cool, the mountains are extremely snowy and often covered with snow well into the height of summer. That is why there are two small glaciers here at an unusually low altitude: the high glacier on the Braunarlspitze and the glacier on the Rote Wand at altitudes below 2700 m above sea level. Furthermore, at the Unteren Wildgrubenspitze and the Flexenspitze there are remains of ice from former glaciers, most of which are buried in the rubble and therefore only melt very slowly. The area is ideal for skiing in winter - see winter sports in Lech .
The vegetation by trees is rather sparse. Pines , cripple pines and alder trees , which are very resistant to avalanches, dominate . The tree line is low, around 1,700 to 1,800 meters. Occasionally the trees grow up to around 1,900 meters. The very varied display of flowers is remarkable .
The valleys were settled by the so-called Walsers - a name that can be found in many Tyrolean family names . Historically, alpine farming dominates , today tourism , especially ski tourism in Lech and the smaller towns of Zürs , Stuben and Damüls .
natural reserve
The Großes Walsertal biosphere reserve also includes parts of the Lechquellen Mountains. The core zones , which according to UNESCO requirements must be part of every biosphere reserve , are particularly interesting . In the Lechquellen Mountains there are two larger core zones, the Gadental and the Faludriga Nova area . The mountain forests in these core zones have not been used for forestry for several years. As a result, these core zones already offer the image of near-natural mountain (primeval) forests with trees of various age groups and a high proportion of dead wood, which has become rare in the Northern Limestone Alps. In the future, the value of these areas for nature conservation but also for tourism should continue to increase.
There are the following nature reserves in the Lechquellen Mountains:
- Gadental, established in 1987, area 1,336 ha
- Gypsum holes Oberlech, established in 1988, 21 ha
- Bodener meadows, established in 1991, 16.5 ha
- Faludriga Nova, established in 2003
Plant protection area:
- Körbersee, established in 1958, 451 ha
Natura 2000 areas:
- Mountain forests Klostertal
- Gadental, established in 1995, area 1,543.8 ha
tourism
The (toll) use of high-altitude roads allows motor vehicles to penetrate the interior of the mountains up to an altitude of almost 2000 meters. But there are also larger areas with pronounced isolation.
Development
The Lechquellengebirge is little developed, apart from a few ski lifts and cable cars directly at Lech and Zürs. Narrow toll roads lead into the valleys, and there is a shuttle bus service from Lech to the Lech springs in summer. On the other hand, the development is ideal for hikers - through a system of huts that are connected by a high path . It follows the entire “horseshoe” of the peaks, but requires some alpine experience - at least until the beginning of midsummer .
The western ramp of the Arlbergbahn follows the southern edge of the Lechquellengebirge . Their electricity is generated with hydropower from the flooded Spullersee , which is 700 meters high above the Klostertal in the southern part of the Lechquellen Mountains.
Alpine Club huts
There are five Alpine Club huts in the Lechquellen Mountains :
- Biberacher hut 1842 m above sea level A.
- Fraßenhütte 1725 m above sea level A.
- Freiburger Hütte 1931 m above sea level A.
- Göppinger Hütte 2245 m above sea level A.
- Ravensburger Hut 1948 m above sea level A.
With the exception of the Fraßenhütte, these huts are part of the Lechquellenrunde .
Long-distance / long-distance hiking trails
The Northern Alpine Trail (Austrian long-distance hiking trail 01) crosses the Lechquellen Mountains as follows:
- The leg 17 extends from Zürs to Damuels about Madlochjoch, the Ravensburg hut, Freiburger hut which Göppinger cabin and the cabin Biberacher. The last section from Faschinajoch to Damüls is already in the Bregenz Forest Mountains.
The Via Alpina , a cross-border long-distance hiking trail with five partial trails through the entire Alps, also runs through the Lechquellen Mountains.
The Via Alpina Red Trail runs in three stages through the Lechquellen Mountains as follows:
- Stage R52 from the Mindelheimer Hütte to Schröcken, mostly in the Allgäu Alps; between the Hochtannbergpass and Schröcken past the Kalbelesee and Körbersee , however, the path already runs through the Lechquellen Mountains
- Stage R53 from Schröcken to Buchboden over the Schadona pass (Biberacher hut)
- Stage R54 from Buchboden to St. Gerold (the second part of this stage is already in the Bregenz Forest Mountains)
The Lechweg begins at Formarinsee and leads over 125 km to the Lechfall in Füssen .
The Lechquellenrunde goes from the Biberacher Hütte to the Ravensburger Hütte (optional to the Stuttgarter Hütte).
Via ferratas
panorama
literature
- Dieter Seibert : Bregenzerwald and Lechquellen Mountains. Alpine Club Guide alpine. 1st edition. Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-7633-1095-1 .
Web links
Allgäu Alps | Ammergau Alps | Bavarian Prealps | Berchtesgaden Alps | Brandenberg Alps | Bregenz Forest Mountains | Chiemgau Alps | Dachstein Mountains | Ennstal Alps | Gutenstein Alps | Hochschwabgruppe | Kaiser Mountains | Karwendel | Lechquellen Mountains | Lechtal Alps | Loferer and Leoganger Steinberge | Mürzsteg Alps | Upper Austrian Pre-Alps | Rax Schneeberg Group | Salzburg Slate Alps | Salzkammergut Mountains | Tennengebirge | Dead Mountains | Türnitz Alps | Wetterstein Mountains and Mieming Range | Vienna Woods | Ybbstal Alps