Bavarian Alps

Bavarian Alps
Bayerische Alpen

View of the Mangfall Mountains from Bodenschneid looking west to the Wallberg
Highest point
Peak Zugspitze
Elevation 2,962 m (9,718 ft)
Coordinates 47°18′43″N 10°21′22″E / 47.31194°N 10.35611°E / 47.31194; 10.35611 
Geography
Countries Germany and Austria
States Bavaria and Tyrol/Vorarlberg
Range coordinates 47°38′N 11°46′E / 47.64°N 11.77°E / 47.64; 11.77Coordinates: 47°38′N 11°46′E / 47.64°N 11.77°E / 47.64; 11.77
Parent range Northern Limestone Alps
Borders on Western Rhaetian Alps, North Tyrol Limestone Alps and Northern Salzburg Alps
Geology
Orogeny Alpine orogeny

Bavarian Alps (German: Bayerische Alpen) is a summarizing term of several mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps in the German state of Bavaria.

Geography

Bavarian Alps, view from Murnau

The term in its wider sense refers to that part of the Eastern Alps that lies on Bavarian state territory. However it is traditionally understood that the Bavarian Alps are only those ranges between the rivers Lech and Saalach (Altbayern). In this narrower sense, the Allgäu Alps in Swabia, which have only been part of Bavaria in more recent times, and the Berchtesgaden Alps in the east are not considered part of the Bavarian Alps.

The term is frequently used, but does not correspond to the common classification of the Eastern Alps (AVE) developed by the German, Austrian and South Tyrol Alpine Clubs. It should not be confused with the term Bavarian Prealps either. The latter only covers the Bavarian section of the prealps between the River Loisach in the west and the River Inn in the east.

According to the Italian Partizione delle Alpi classification, the Bavarian Alps (Alpi Bavaresi) comprise the Allgäu and Lechtal Alps as well as the adjacent Achen Lake mountains.

Notable summits

The Bavarian Alps in their broader sense include the following parts of the mountain ranges listed − in this tabular overview sorted according to AVE roughly from west to east and with maximum heights above sea level (NN). The highest peaks and elevations shown relate to that part of the mountain group that lies in Bavaria, and not to the overall group. For example, the highest mountain of the Allgäu Alps, the 2,657 m above sea level (AA) high Großer Krottenkopf, lies in Tyrol and is not shown in the table.

The highest peak in the Bavarian Alps and in Germany as a whole is the Zugspitze. It lies in the western part of the Wetterstein range and has a high Alpine character with its height of 2,962 m above NN as well as its two small glaciers.

By clicking on the word "List" in the various rows of the Lists column, a list other mountains in the particular range may be viewed (noting that some of them will be outside Bavaria or the Bavarian Alps). The table may be sorted by clicking on the sort symbols in the column headers.

Zugspitze Massif with Zugspitze peak (left), the highest mountain in Germany (view from Fern Pass in the southwest)
Range

 Lists

 Proportion
in Bavarian Alps
 Highest peak
on Bavarian state territory
 Height
Allgäu Alps List part Hochfrottspitze 2,649 m (8,691 ft)
Ammergau Alps List most Kreuzspitze 2,185 m (7,169 ft)
Wetterstein List part Zugspitze 2,962 m (9,718 ft)
Bavarian Prealps[1] List part Krottenkopf 2,086 m (6,844 ft)
Karwendel[2] List part Östliche Karwendelspitze 2,538 m (8,327 ft)
Chiemgau Alps List most Sonntagshorn 1,961 m (6,434 ft)
Berchtesgaden Alps List part Watzmann 2,713 m (8,901 ft)

Landscape

Like the Alps as a whole, the Bavarian Alps as part of the Northern Limestone Alps were heavily influenced by the last ice age. Cirques, lakes and typical U-shaped valleys were formed by the glaciers. Depositions by ice age rivers and glaciers left behind a gently rolling landscape in the Alpine Foreland with lakes and bogs.

References

  1. ↑ Bavarian Prealps subdivided into: Ester Mountains, Walchensee Mountains, Benediktenwand
    Group and Mangfall Mountains
  2. ↑ Karwendel: main part of the range lies in Austrian Tyrol

Literature

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bavarian Alps.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.