National Park Hohe Tauern – the biggest national park of Austria

The National Park Hohe Tauern was established in 1981 and is Austria’s first National Park. During the following decades the National Park developed into the largest nature reserve in Central Europe, with an area of over 1,834 km2. The National Park Hohe Tauern lands in the three provinces of Tyrol, Salzburg (biggest share) and Carinthia.

The National Park includes the Central Alps with the highest mountain ranges of Austria, including Mount Großglockner (3798 metres high) and Mount Großvenediger (3666 metres high). The “Großglockner Hochalpenstraße” is an alpine road to near the mountain top and offers spectacular scenery. On the way upwards (or downwards), several museums tell the story of its construction in the 1930ies (mostly to fight unemployment and support tourism), the ecology of the region and other aspects of the “Tauern” mountains.

The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is Austria′s second most popular attraction after Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Beyond this busy part of the park, there are plenty of areas that offer excellent hiking opportunities. The Krimml Waterfalls are another famous sight in the Hohe Tauern.

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Category: Austria, National Parks, National parks