Wartenstein (Styria)
| Waiting stone | ||
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 View from Hallersdorf to the Wartenstein |
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| height | 803 m above sea level A. | |
| location | Styria , Austria | |
| Mountains | Lavanttal Alps | |
| Dominance | 3.02 km → Schusterbauerkogel | |
| Notch height | 89 m ↓ west of Göribauer | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 0 '13 " N , 15 ° 10' 52" E | |
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| Type | Vorberg | |
| rock | platy layered mica schist with garnet inclusions | |
| particularities | prehistoric hilltop settlement | |
The Wartenstein is an elevation of 803 m above sea level. A. in the municipality of Krottendorf-Gaisfeld in the Voitsberg district . It is a foothill of the Koralpe and on it the remains of a prehistoric hilltop settlement were found, which belonged to the Cham culture or at least was under its influence.
Geography and geology
The Wartenstein consists of platy layers of mica slate with garnet inclusions and is located a little apart from the Kainachtal between the Teigitsch and the Ligistbach . It rises between 400 and 450 meters above the surrounding valley floor. The mountain is an east-northeast branch of the Koralpe and is connected to it by a saddle that is only interrupted by flat brook beds .
The summit is divided into three almost flat rock steps, stepped to the west and south-west, with a total area of approximately 1000 m². The entire summit area is divided into terraces by slabs of slate, some of which are piled on top of each other. The mountain drops steeply to the north and south, but forms more or less flat surfaces below the summit, partly separated from each other by rockfalls, which in turn merge into flatter mountain slopes. One of the rockfalls on the southern slope is about 12 meters high, overhanging and resembles an abri . In an easterly direction, the Wartenstein falls less steeply and, after a dip about 200 meters from the summit, forms a flat knoll surrounded by rocks. In the west, the mountain falls abruptly in an eight-meter-high rockfall, but is connected to the Koralpe by a wide and level ridge that follows .
From the summit you have a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, the foothills of the Styrian peripheral mountains and to the east and south-east into the Murtal . However, the surrounding ridges and valleys remain hidden.
flora
The terraces near the peaks are covered with a light pine forest , which is interspersed with sweet chestnuts ( Castanea sativa ) in the south and west , as well as with mosses , heather ( Erica ) and blueberries ( Vaccinium myrtillus ), which suggests an unusually mild climate for this altitude leaves. Spruces ( Picea abies ) can only be found in the northern and eastern parts of the mountain and on the lower mountain slopes .
History and development
Due to the many flat surfaces near the peaks, the Wartenstein probably served as a natural refuge already in prehistoric times . Finds suggest a hilltop settlement that belonged to the Cham culture or was at least under its influence. The Wartenstein is more than 150 kilometers away from the nearest place where this culture was found and would mark its southeastern limit of distribution. The terrain on the mountain does not seem to have been changed by humans. Two flat spots directly to the east and south of the summit could represent podiums . Although the name indicates a medieval use, no evidence of a castle or the like was found.
In 1986 a transmission station for the fire brigade was set up at Wartenstein.
literature
- Wolfgang Artner, Bernd Engelhardt, Bernhard Herbert, Rudolf Illek, Manfred Lehner: The Wartenstein near Ligist, Voitsberg district, a hilltop settlement with Chamer finds in Styria . In: The position of the end neolithic Cham culture in its spatial and temporal context: Erlangen, March 26-28, 1999 . 2001, ISBN 3-933474-17-5 , pp. 41-55 .
