Kalkalpen National Park
The Reichraminger Hintergebirge, seen from Kalkalpen National Park
Map showing the location of Kalkalpen National Park
Map showing the location of Kalkalpen National Park
Kalkalpen National Park
Location within Austria
LocationNorthern Limestone Alps, Upper Austria, Austria
Coordinates47°47′24″N 14°22′25″E / 47.79000°N 14.37361°E / 47.79000; 14.37361
Area20,825 hectares (51,460 acres)
Established25 July 1997 (1997-07-25)
www.kalkalpen.at
Designated2 February 2004
Reference no.1371[1]

Kalkalpen National Park (in English literally Limestone Alps National Park) is a national park within the Northern Limestone Alps mountain range, located in the state of Upper Austria, Austria.[2] The park was established in 1997. The ancient beech forests within the national park were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, because of their undisturbed nature and testimony to the ecological history of Europe since the Last Glacial Period.[3]

Description

The park contains Central Europe's largest forested area, as well the largest karst region in Austria.[4] It opened on 25 July 1997,[5][6] and has an area of 20,825 hectares (51,460 acres).[7]

Features

Kalkalpen National Park has visitors centers in Molln, Ennstal, and at the Hengstpaßhütt near Rosenau.[8][9] [10] The Wurbauerkogel, a 21 metres (69 ft) high panorama view tower, is located near Windischgarsten. It is accessible by a chair lift and hiking paths. In clear weather 21 peaks of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) or greater in elevation can be seen from Wurbauerkogel.[11]

The park has numerous hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. The former Steyr Valley Railway, with sections now the Steyrtal rail trail, pass through the park in the Molln area. In the winter there are snowshoe hiking and alpine skiing routes.

The national park's lodge and seminar center is the 1907 Villa Sonnwend, located in Windischgarsten.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nationalpark Kalkalpen". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Kalkalpen.at: Nationalpark Kalkalpen (Limestone Alps National Park)−(in English) . accessed 11.11.2015.
  3. ↑ "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Kalkalpen National Park". Urlaubsregion Pyhrn-Priel. Archived from the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Background Info: Kalkalpen National Park". Nationalpark Kalkalpen. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Zeittafel" [Timeline] (in German). Nationalpark Kalkalpen. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Rahmenvereinbarung Nationalpark Kalkalpen Region". CIPRA. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  8. ↑ Nationalpark Kalkalpen: Molln Visitor Center
  9. ↑ Nationalpark Kalkalpen: Ennstal Visitor Center
  10. ↑ Nationalpark Kalkalpen: Hengstpaßhütte (Rosenau)
  11. ↑ Nationalpark Kalkalpen: Wurbauerkogel panoramic view tower
  12. ↑ Villa Sonnwend website−(in German)


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