Austria - Großglockner High Alpine Road / Großglockner Hochalpenstraße

"The Großglockner High Alpine Road is a mountain pass road and, together with the Schloss Schönbrunn, one of the most important touristic landmarks in Austria. The impressive setting of this alpine scenic route combines the art of mountain road construction with a singular nature and landscape experience, running through the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park, protected since 1992, one of the largest nature reserves in Central Europe. Completed in 1935 the alpine road made accessible Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner (3,798 m) and the longest glacier of the Eastern Alps, the Pasterze. With an altitude of 2,504 meters at the Hochtor Pass, it is the highest surfaced mountain road in Austria. Totalling 48 kilometres, the road has a continuous width of 7.5 meters, 36 hairpin curves and two side roads to spectacular vantage points.

Planned from 1924 onwards and built between 1930 and 1935, the road was the prototype of scenic routes in Europe. Planned and implemented as a toll road in a pristine alpine setting with the objective of offering a spectacular experience for the visitor, the road continues to retain its original function as a self-sustaining tourist attraction: 800,000 to 1,000,000 tourists from all over the world visit the Großglockner High Alpine Road each year. Tourists experience the Hohe Tauern landscape, the Kaiser Franz Josefs Höhe, the view of the glacier at an altitude of 2,369 meters above sea level, and the 360° panoramic view of the Edelweißspitze. Since its opening 80 years ago, the High Alpine road has been consistently among the top ten of most visited attractions in Austria."


Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List


Großglockner is Austria highest mountain.Thanks to Christina of Austria.

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