Kamnik Alps
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Kamnik Alps | |
Savinja Alps | |
Range | |
Grintovec (left, background) and Skuta (right, foreground)
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Countries | Slovenia, Austria |
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Part of | Southern Limestone Alps |
Highest point | Grintovec |
- elevation | 2,558 m (8,392 ft) |
- coordinates | |
The Kamnik Alps (Slovene: Kamniške Alpe, German: Steiner Alpen) are a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps in north Slovenia and at the border of Austria. The name is derived from the town Kamnik. Because the main river of the chain is the Savinja, the mountains are also called the Savinja Alps (Slovene: Savinjske Alpe, German: Sannthaler or Sulzbacher Alpen). The river Kamniška Bistrica has its spring in the Kamnik Alps. There is also a small glacier under Skuta which is the most eastern glacier in the Southern Alps.
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[edit] Location
The Kamnik Alps are located at the border of Austria and Slovenia, between the rivers Sava and Savinja. Historically, they were the border between the duchies of Carinthia, Styria and Carniola. The tripoint was located on Uršlja gora.
[edit] Peaks
The most important peaks are:
- Grintovec – 2,558 m (8,392 ft)
- Jezerska Kočna – 2,540 m (8,333 ft)
- Skuta – 2,532 m (8,307 ft)
- Ojstrica (2,350 m or 7,710 feet)
- Storžič (2,132 m)
- Raduha (2,062 m or 6,765 feet)
In total, 28 peaks surpass 2,000 m. The total area of the Slovene part is about 900 km². About three quarters of the surface are overgrown with forest while many of the higher peaks are bleak and rocky.
[edit] Borders and passes
To the east, the Kamnik Alps border the Celje Highland at the Dravinja River. The northwestern border to the Karavanke is the Vellach Valley.
The most important passes between the Carinthian and Upper Carniolian sides of the mountains are the Jerezsko Pass (Sln. Jezersko sedlo, Germ. Seebergsattel) and the Pavlič Pass (Sln. Pavličevo sedlo, Germ. Paulitschsattel). On the Slovenian side, there is a skiing area, whereas tourism in the Vellach Valley focuses on health spas.