22.07.2017
Grossglockner Hochalpenstraße
high mountain road Grossglockner– this is the most beautiful panoramic road in Austria and probably one of the most beautiful in Europe, it is visited by more than 1 million tourists a year.
The road begins in the federal state of Salzburg in a village in a town Fusch an der Grossglocknerstrasse(Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße), and ends in Carinthia in a pastoral postcard town Heiligenblut(Heiligendlut), or vice versa, depending on where you start the journey from)))
This is the very heart of Austrian Alps: highest mountain, largest glacier Pasterze, the most beautiful village Heiligenblut, the most beautiful panoramas and all this is located in the largest national park Hohe Tauern. If you are planning to travel around Austria in the warm season, be sure to stop by here. You will be guaranteed a lot of bright impressions.
- the length of the road is 48 kilometers,
- the highest place on the panoramic road - perval Hokhtor (Hohtor) , 2504 m.
- the road passes by the top of the mountain , actually named after her alpine highway and it is the highest in Austria.
- On panoramic highway 36 turns are stated, but in reality there are much more of them; only the largest and steepest ones are marked.
- maximum road gradient is about 12%
On the road from Carinthia there are two exits from the main road: one leads to Kaiser Franz Joseph Center, and further to the observation deck on the Pastertse glacier, from here there is a cable car that can go straight down to the glacier, or you can also use the steep stairs. If you have time, take a walk to the glacier; it has been melting for more than 120 years, but the spectacle is breathtaking. But we do not recommend traveling on the glacier itself without an experienced guide: there are many deep crevices under the fragile ice. This is the largest glacier in Austria - 9 km long, a huge colossus of ice, snow, mud and stones, descending into the valley.
The second, less known, but very spectacular exit leads to the observation deck on the mountain Edelweissspitze, 2573 m. Many drivers do not dare to climb it, it is steep but absolutely passable, as a reward you will have a view of 37 three-thousanders and, it seems, 18 glaciers. Just to see this place is worth coming to Grossglockner.
Route and map of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road 
There are many places on the road for panoramic photography of all the surrounding alpine beauty, with convenient parking, diagrams of where you are and what is around you, and even information centers.
Without any effort at all, you can photograph mountain goats and marmots (these are, in general, symbols of Grossglockner); they are not afraid here and willingly expose themselves to camera lenses. There are even playgrounds for children.
Prices for proad trip
- 35 euros for a car,
- 25 euros for a motorcycle
The road is not working all year round, and from May to October, there are no exact opening and closing dates, it all depends on the snow cover. In winter, the road is covered with snowdrifts up to 10 meters high, in recent years this has happened rarely, but nevertheless, we once drove up the road to a part that had not been cleared of snow and in front of us stood a snow wall the size of a two-story house, it is very impressive how and a photo of how this wealth begins to be raked in the spring, now this is done by large snow removal equipment, and in the first years of the road’s operation 300 strong Austrian men climbed the mountains with shovels! It took about a month to clean it...
So it’s best, plus in the summer there are more chances to really see all the surrounding beauty, and not clouds with rain.
The operating time of the Grossglockner high mountain road is from May to October.
- May until June 15: 6:00 — 20:00
- June 16 - September 15: 5:00 — 21:30
- September 16 to October: 6:00 — 19:30
The last tourist is allowed onto the road 45 minutes before closing.
History of the high mountain road:
Construction of the road began in 1930, exactly one year later! (can you imagine such deadlines for our builders?!!) it was solemnly opened, a few days later a rally was already held here. Now this road is very popular among cyclists and motorcyclists. Sometimes it’s very scary to be on sharp turns at the same time as them. And in summer time there are sooo many of them there.
The road was conceived back in the 20s of the 20th century, but was not built, because they did not believe in the technical feasibility of implementing such a complex project, but in the 30s, Austria was tormented by the crisis after the First World War and in order to provide work for 3,000 people, the Austrian government allocated a budget for the construction of a high-mountain highway. It was built in a year and spent less money than planned (can you imagine this in our realities?).
On the second day after the opening, the Grossglockner Races for cars and motorcycles were held here; they continued here until the Second World War. And now owners of all kinds of rare cars regularly organize races and trips here. Status bike races also take place here.
Initially, the road was intended to be a toll road, and from the first days there was more traffic on it than expected. Until the 50s, the road was used as a regular highway, but with the opening roads A10 the main flow of cars “on business” took a detour along a flat road, and tourists began to use the Grossglockner serpentine even more actively.
In 2016, the Grossglockner panoramic road was nominated for inclusion on the list world heritage UNESCO.
Cow traffic jams. Mountain roads Gerlos and Großglockner. Krimml waterfalls. Highest Mountain peak Austria and the Pasterze Glacier.
Around Austria by car. Innsbruck - Krimml - Flattach. Grossglockner high mountain road. Krimml waterfalls.
This is the case when watching is better than reading. On the sixth day of the trip we begin a full immersion in the Alps. Today is devoid of urban tourism, but full of beautiful mountain landscapes, waterfalls and amazing alpine roads. The main star of today is the famous Grossglockner high mountain road. Yes, and the waterfalls near the town of Krimml turned out to be quite good. Follow our journey and subscribe to our YouTube channel, as well as to the email newsletter of our blog (column on the right or at the bottom of the page).
Route map and accommodation.
The entire route of this day passes along mountain roads. Moving along them is leisurely, but fascinating, all you have to do is turn your head. The total length of the route Innsbruck-Krieml-Grossglockner-Flattach is about 280 kilometers, including branches to the Edelweisspitze and to the Pasterze glacier.
Accommodation: Apartments Appartementhaus Mentil, Igls, suburb of Innsbruck. Booking via Booking.com. One night - 84 € (the most expensive accommodation on the trip). Breakfast is not provided. Free parking . Attention! On the booking the price is indicated less (45€) than it actually is, since there is an additional note in small print about the cleaning fee.
Almabtrib holiday and traffic problems associated with it.
So I came to leave hospitable Innsbruck and our luxurious Waldhaus Igls apartments. We leave them in their original form and order.
We pass through the outskirts of Innsbruck, drive a little along the autobahn, then turn towards Zell am Ziller, then a little more and find ourselves on the road leading towards the town of Gerlos and the toll mountain road of the same name.
At the entrance to Gerlos we begin to come across processions of dressed up cows and shepherds.
Each procession completely occupies one of the lanes of the road, forcing cars to stop and wait for it to pass. The first couple of times it looks interesting and funny, we are even glad that we got to some traditional event and have the opportunity to enjoy the national Austrian flavor. The shepherds are cheerful and wave at you in greeting.
But at some point it begins to tire, because time is running out. But the worst thing happened in the city of Gerlos itself. Here we got stuck in a traffic jam for almost an hour.
Moreover, interestingly, for a long time there were no cows, then two not very large processions passed, but we continued to stand dead.
But it turned out that at this time it passes traditional holiday Almabtrieb. This is the name of the event dedicated to the return of cows from high alpine pastures home, held in late September or early October. If the grazing season has been successful, the cows are dressed up and proudly march down. The shepherds are also all dressed up, many are drinking beer and are already a little tipsy.
Another danger is the uncontrolled movements of cows. For example, one of the cows hit our car with a bell on its neck. And these bells - wow, they are not small at all. Thank God, there were no serious consequences.
Around 12-30 we finally set off and it turned out that the traffic jam in Gerlos was caused not only and not so much by cows, but by people (tourists) who had already begun to celebrate the holiday with might and main. And beer and schnapps. The people were having fun and walking, wandering along the road as if they were at home. Therefore, the traffic was alternately one-way and at low speed.
Having escaped into operational space, we began to enjoy the alpine landscapes. The weather was magnificent, as was the case for the next few days of our stay in Austria. So lucky, so lucky. Soon a very beautiful lake appeared on our way.
We assumed that it was also called Gerlos.
However, during the preparation of this report it turned out that its name is Speicher Durlassboden. In general, this beauty quickly began to banish the negativity from wasting a lot of time in a traffic jam.
Soon we passed the toll point for the Gerlos mountain road (9€) and headed to our first point today - the cascade of Krimml waterfalls. The road is beautiful, but not very exciting. As you approach the waterfall, you can stop at the observation deck just opposite the last one. From here there are good views of the valley.
And, in fact, to the waterfalls themselves.
A little closer.
Another observation point is already at the entrance to the Krimml.
We finally reach the city, there are several parking lots, we stopped at P3, which seems to be the closest to the park entrance. We were lucky, there was one place. True, for a long time we could not figure out how to pay, until Anya went to the cafe opposite and gave 5 € in cash. I don’t even remember if they gave us any kind of check.
From the parking lot you need to go under the road bridge and walk along the path for 10-15 minutes, pay for the entrance (3€ per person) and now we find ourselves at the site of the lower waterfall.
It’s already very beautiful here, the water falls on the stones with all its might, raising a column of spray.
The climb is quite steep, but there are constant opportunities to catch your breath, as views of the waterfall appear along the entire route.
Here we are already approaching the middle of the road. It must be said that this cascade of waterfalls is one of the highest in Europe, the total height is about 385 meters.
Double cascade.
The path to the very top cascade, judging by the sign, takes an hour and fifteen minutes. The halfway point is 40 minutes.
The views are of course stunning and the waterfall is very impressive.
Now we have reached the middle point. There is a restaurant and a huge stone here, and you can also access the Krimml-Ache River, which creates the waterfalls. The river here is calm. Peaceful landscape.
It turned out that my trekking boots were dirty from a previous trip (I don’t remember where), so I decided to take the opportunity and washed them right in the river.
We were very happy and took selfies.
We decided not to climb to the very top, since the time was already approaching 15 o’clock, and we wanted to get to the Grossglockner track in bright light of day. On the descent we turned into one of the branches that we passed during the ascent.
Eh, what a blunder!
An attempt to photograph a rainbow, which is formed by the reflection of the sun in splashes of water.
At 15-36 we leave the Krimml and, slowly meandering along mountain valleys, at 16-48 we reach the Grossglockner road toll point. The cost for a passenger car for the whole day is 35 €. With this ticket you can leave the road and return any number of times, but only within this day. By the way, the last entry in the autumn period is possible at 18-45. The road itself closes at 19-30.
Well, what can I say about the road? We will not go into the history of construction and others technical facts. Let's just enjoy this truly amazing and stunningly beautiful high mountain trail. We managed to fly a drone here for a bit and got such wonderful views.
In this photo below you can see the Haus Alpine Naturschau museum, altitude 2260 meters.
This is the northern section of the road, viewed from the south.
The turret is the Fuscher Torl lookout point. Fuscher Lake is visible to the left.
Here you can see the restaurant complex in front of a separate branch of the Edelweisspitze road.
First, we unknowingly drove past the branch to the Edelweisspitze and ended up on the Fuscher Torl, altitude 2428 meters. Look how beautifully and neatly everything is arranged.
The evening sun creates magical lighting.
Anya saw edelweiss, which, unfortunately, had already dried up. But I'm not 100% sure if it's him. Write if anyone knows.
There are stunning mountain panoramas everywhere you look.
At these altitudes, things are actively moving towards winter, the grass is already quite withered, but it’s still beautiful.
Edelweisspitze
The highest point of the Grossglockner route, accessible to cars and motorcycles, is the Edelweisspitze peak, height 2571 meters. Here you need to climb along a narrow serpentine paved with paving stones. The road is breathtaking in places.
Here we are at the top.
The parking lot is small and even at this time of year and day there are quite a lot of cars here. I can't imagine what happens during high season.
A souvenir shop with an observation deck on the roof.
As at all viewpoints along the road, you can have a snack here.
Northern slope of the Grossglockner road. Almost in the center you can see a branch, from here we launched our quadcopter for the first time.
Here we see Fuscher Torl and how the road goes around the hill.
Fuscher Lake. As it is written in the travel booklet, here you can walk around the lake. But, to be honest, this puddle did not impress us at all.
One of the sharp serpentine turns on the Edelweissspitze.
Hochtor Pass
And the highest point of the main road is the Hochtor pass, height 2504 meters. The views here are also good, but not as impressive.
The main adventure at the pass where we stopped was meeting cute sheep.
Anya did not miss the opportunity to feed them.
They ate the bread with great pleasure. In this photo, although it’s bad, the Hochtor sign is visible in the background - the only photographic evidence of our stay here :)
Another beauty. The sheep were really cute. When it was time for us to continue our journey, they did not want to let us go for a long time and chased us all the way to the car. The parting was sad...
Glacier Pasterze
It was getting dark and twilight was rapidly falling. Of course, we regretted that we had not come here earlier. We really missed that very hour lost in Gerlos. With some risk, but we still went to tourist centre Kaiser-Franz-Josefs (2369 meters) is the last point of our stay on Großglockner. We arrived here at 18:45, there were almost no people there.
It is from here that you can see highest peak Austria - Mount Großglockner, which gives the name to the road. The height of the mountain is 3798 meters. In the photo below, it is the highest peak on the left. And from here you can observe the longest glacier in the Austrian Alps - Pasterze.
The length of the glacier now reaches 9 kilometers. Over the past 100 years, the glacier has melted very much; only its small tail is visible from the tourist center, but once it filled the entire gorge.
In the daytime, it is suggested to go down directly to the glacier (its remains); now we could only admire the views.
This ended our stay on the Großglockner road. Exactly at 19-00 we left the glacier and already at 19-13 we left the Großglockner highway. At 20-00 we reached the town of Flattach, where another cozy apartment was waiting for us. We booked them for 45€, but it turned out that there was a cleaning fee in the fine print, so we ended up having to fork out 84€! As a result, this accommodation turned out to be the most expensive for us. This is the only negative (albeit a serious one). Otherwise, the apartments were very good; unfortunately, we didn’t take any photos of them, but they are on video. We also really liked the hostess, originally from Sweden, she was very positive and showed sincere interest and attention to us.
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The Großglockner High Alpine Road has been closed for winter since 4 November 2019.
The Großglockner High Alpine Road is not an ordinary utility road connecting two neighboring regions in Austria. For more fast movement There is an A10 expressway.
The panoramic Großglockner High Alpine Road is one of the most famous mountain roads in the world. It attracts tourists from many countries with an annual visitation of approximately 900,000 people, making it one of the most visited places in Austria.
The Großglockner High Alpine Road is part of Austria's cultural history, one of its major tourist attractions and a world-renowned feat of construction.
a brief description of
The road is closed at night - .
Location
The Grossglockner High Road is part of the 107 Austrian regional road and is located in the center of the Austrian Alps (Google Maps, Google Earth).
The distance from Salzburg is about 100 km, from Innsbruck - 120 km, from Munich - 200 km. Given the excellent quality of Austrian highways, it will take about 1.5 - 2.5 hours to get there from these cities.
The Großglockner road connects the states of Salzburg and Carinthia. Passes through the Hohe Tauern National Park. In addition, it leads to the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center, with panoramic views of the Pasterze Glacier and the Grossglockner Mountain.
How to get to Großglockner High Alpine Road
From Salzburg:
Exit the A10/E55 motorway at the Graz/Villach sign and follow it towards Italy until Bischofshofen (38 km).
Then turn at the sign Bischofshofen/Pongau onto regional road 311 and follow it until the exit for Bruck/Fusch (44 km).
After this, take road 107 and after 23 km you will reach the northern entrance to the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
The total distance is 105 km, travel time is 1.5 hours.
From Bolzano (Italy):
Take the A22/E45 motorway and follow it towards Austria until Bressanone (45 km).
Exit the motorway onto the regional road SS49/E66 and continue to the Austrian town of Lienz (100 km).
After Lienz you enter regional road 107 and after 43 km you reach the southern entrance to the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
The total distance is 190 km, travel time is 3 hours.
Road
A little history
The first mention of it dates back to the autumn of 1924, when a project for a gravel road three meters wide, with the possibility of expanding to five meters, was developed.
On August 30, 1930 at 9:30 am the first rock explosion was carried out. In the first year, mainly survey work was carried out.
Thirteen months later, on September 22, 1934, the first driver crossed the Hohe Tauern in a Steyr 100 (1.2 l, 32 hp, 100 km/h top speed, consumption of about 10 liters of gasoline per 100 km).
The Großglockner High Alpine Road was officially opened on August 3, 1935 and in its first year it attracted 375,000 visitors and 98,000 vehicles.
Fare
The price includes not only the toll, but also access to all Großglockner information resources, as well as use of all parking areas, including the garage in the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center.
Tariffs for 2019:1 In case of entry after 18:00, the ticket price is reduced to € 26.50 for cars and to € 20.00 for motorcycles.
2 sightseeing tickets are valid for one month for travel on the Großglockner High Alpine Road and Felbertauern Road.
3 return journeys on the same day are free.
A repeat visit in the same calendar year with the same car or motorcycle (with the same number plates) will cost € 12.00 (old ticket must be presented).
Working hours
The road is open to travel from May to October or November during the daytime. The exact opening and closing data of the road is determined based on weather conditions.
- From the beginning of May to May 31: 6:00 - 20:00
- From June 1 to August 31: 5:00 - 21:30
- From September 1 to October 26: 6:00 - 19:30
- From October 27 to early November: 8:00 - 17:00
The last visitors are admitted 45 minutes before closing.
WEB camera
Image from a web camera installed next to Fuscher Lacke:
Description of the road
The Großglockner high mountain road passes through the heart of national park Hohe Tauern. It is 48 km long, including 36 sharp turns ( "a la hairpin") and rises to a height of 2,504 meters.
1. Northern entrance
2. Gate Fuscher Törl(2,428 m) - the monument was designed by the world famous architect Clemens Holzmeister. It is dedicated to the workers who died during the construction of the road. This place is one of the best points for photography.
3. Fuscher Lacke(2,262 m) - the exhibition "Building of the Road" impressively presents interesting story construction of the Großglockner High Alpine road.
4. Hochtor(2,504 m) - the highest point of the road and the border between the states of Salzburg and Carinthia. On the north side there is usually snow until the end of August.
5. Turn to the Pasterze Glacier and the Kaiser Franz Joseph Tourist Center.
6. Kaiser Franz Joseph Center(2,369 m) - view of the Grossglockner mountain and the Pasterze glacier.
7. Southern entrance onto the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
In the video below you can see a small section of the Großglockner High Alpine Road to get an idea of what to expect (you can watch other videos on our channel at YouTube).
Along the entire road there is a large number of special panoramic platforms for relax. Here you can fully enjoy the surrounding views, relax and take wonderful photos as a souvenir.
Attractions
In fact, the main attraction is the road itself and the views that open from it. Along the route you will find flowering meadows, fragrant forests, mighty rocks and eternal ice at the foot of the Großglockner mountain.
Kaiser Franz Joseph Center
The center is located at the foot of the Großglockner mountain and overlooks the longest glacier in the eastern Alps - Pasterze.
The center is a 4-story building in which visitors are shown everything that is most interesting about the most high mountain in Austria - Großglockner.
There are a large number of parking spaces near the center. But it’s better to drive to the end of the road and park in a multi-story garage. Moreover, it is best to go onto the roof of the garage.
This way you will be closer to the Kaiser Franz Josef Center itself. And after you’ve examined everything you wanted, you’ll be able to quickly get to the car and move on. In addition, from above there is a wonderful view of the glacier itself.
Additional Information about the Großglockner High Alpine Road on the official website - www.grossglockner.at
Impressions from the road
Despite the fact that reference information is published on the site, it is difficult to resist telling about your impressions.
Did we enjoy the trip along this road? Definitely yes. The road is well worth visiting, despite the rather high price of travel. Moreover, both the surrounding views and the process of moving along the road with its sharp turns, descents and ascents deserve attention.
And at the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center it is very pleasant to walk in the mountains and recharge with positive emotions while enjoying the surroundings.
There are a lot of motorcyclists on the road who constantly rush past you. And you even come across instances like this.
And the number of cyclists climbing this mountain is simply amazing. Only here do you begin to realize how truly popular cycling is in Europe.
It so happened that in a short period of time we managed to visit two mountain roads- Großglockner and Timmelsjoch. And comparisons between them could not be avoided. Here you can see a description of the Timmelsjoch high mountain road.
In conclusion, a few photos with views of what opens right from the road.
The Grossglockner high alpine road, better known in German How Großglockner Hochalpenstraße, is definitely the best thing I've ever seen in Austria. If you have already been there, then perhaps you will not be surprised by the news that this place is included in the list of “1000 places to see before you die”, along with the Grand Canyon, Petra or Venice. If you haven’t been, then you urgently need to add this place to your personal list of plans for the near future, because better than the mountains, as you know, there can only be mountains, let alone something else, but there are enough mountains in that area. About 300 three-thousanders on 1,100 square kilometers, 246 glaciers, the highest mountain in Austria - Grossglockner (3,798 meters), half-green, half-snowy slopes and an incredible zigzag winding road - without hesitation I call this place the pearl of Austria.
Officially, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is 48 kilometers long: this is the toll part of the road (28 euros for a one-day pass), the most difficult to drive, but also the most beautiful. Unofficially, there is a traditional route starting from the settlement of Bruck, near Zell am See, and ending near Heiligenblut. If you go towards Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, you will still take this route, because there are simply no other roads there. In total, it turns out to be 75 kilometers of stunning panoramic views and an unforgettable day.
The first, free part of the road is very beautiful Alpine houses, green fields with cows grazing on them, mountains visible in the distance and other delights of the Austrian Alps. Very beautiful, but, in general, not very different from the green beauties of Zillertal, which I wrote about. Maybe it's more deserted.
The fog that descended into the valley gave a special charm to this area that day. Since the road gradually went up, at first we drove straight in this fog, and then suddenly we drove out of it and found ourselves as if above the clouds. Very beautiful pictures:
As you approach the Hohe Tauern National Park, where the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is located, the landscape outside your window gradually changes. Settlements are seen less and less often, but the views become more and more magical: lakes, waterfalls and, of course, mountains:
The closer to the toll section of the road, the more often snow-capped peaks are visible:
Immediately after entering the toll section, the road begins to go up sharply. But that's not the worst thing. The worst thing is that it begins to loop very sharply and steeply. If you believe the official website of the road and the signs placed on the highway, then there are 36 very sharp turns, these are the so-called Kehre. But, presumably, only the sharpest turns count, where the road turns almost 180 degrees. To all this you need to add at least a hundred more ordinary turns. As a result, I get quite sick in the car, and if it weren’t for the constant stops to take photographs, it would be quite difficult. But the views around you more than compensate for all this:
It’s not so high here yet, so the greenery is still visible:
Nasty goo-o-ors. As I already wrote, there are about 300 three-thousand-meter peaks in the national park:
The road goes further and further upward, only snow is visible around and it becomes quite cold. By the way, in addition to very sharp turns, the road is also distinguished by its narrowness. Trying to overtake someone here is pure suicide. The road was built 75 years ago, when the Austrian economy was in decline and it was urgently necessary to give work to several thousand people. According to the initial designs, the width of the road should have been twice as narrow as what we see now!
These are already snowy places:
One of the largest stops on the route is Edelweißspitze. It is also the highest point along the entire route. This is a small branch from the main highway, the road there is very narrow and very steep. At the very top there is an extremely difficult parking situation. Only a few dozen cars can fit there, and all the places, of course, are occupied. I had to carefully monitor who was about to drive away, run to take a place before someone dived into the vacant heel, and wait until the cars moved away so that I could park. All this took about 15-20 minutes. Many of those who arrived at the top were forced to leave immediately, because there was simply nowhere to go. I guess they were waiting downstairs for some of the cars to come down, or they were walking up with their feet.
The lower part of this whole party is all sorts of cafes, toilets and souvenir shops, where stuffed animals of various alpine animals are found:
There are even krampus, about which I once wrote:
Actually, a view of the parking lot. These are all the parking spaces in these parts, there are no others. Here you can see four cars waiting for someone to free up a parking space. We stood there too:
The steepness of the turns on the highway can be assessed, say, here. A distinctive feature of the road towards Edelweißspitze is also its narrowness. I can’t imagine how two cars pass each other there. Most likely not. You need to act in the standard “Asian” way, i.e. Just honk before every turn. However, on the main route the road is still wider than this:
If you believe the official website of the road, then 30 three-thousand-meter peaks are visible at once on the Edelweiss peak. One of the panoramic views from above the parking lot:
A general view of the road, here you can estimate the number of turns, most of which are not even considered these same 36 terrible Kehres, an example of which you saw above:
Another panoramic view of the road. Here you can see how the road in the upper right corner goes into one of the many tunnels.
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is open only six months a year: somewhere from May to October, each year the dates are slightly different. In winter the road is closed for safety reasons. Judging by how much snow there was around at the end of September, one can understand the prudent Austrians. By the way, during the “working” six months the road is maintained in excellent condition.
Another look at the crazy windings of the road. If you look closely, you can see small expansions in places on the road: here you can slow down if you feel bad and want to take pictures of the opening panoramic views. There are such exits along the entire road, and you want to slow down, if not at every first, then certainly at every second turn.
I already wrote somewhere in the comments that I saw photographs online of Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in the summer. Almost everything around is green, and snow-capped mountain peaks rise above it all. At the end of September, as you can see, the grass is still visible in places, but there is already a fair amount of snow. At the end of October the road is closed because there is too much snow and the road becomes dangerous to drive on.
Here and there on the road there are these strange buildings of unknown purpose:
In some places the road goes into tunnels:
This is what the unnamed version of the previous tunnel looks like:
Inside the tunnel it was dank and cold, however, it was never hot outside the tunnel. But inside the tunnels there are absolutely incredible ice columns. This is frozen water that has penetrated into the tunnel through small holes. Desperate attempt to photograph this from the car window:
Then the poet’s soul couldn’t stand it and he had to create an emergency situation on the road, namely, get out of the car right inside the tunnel (there are, of course, no exits there) in the hope that no one will need to drive through the tunnel at that very moment:
These ice columns grow incredibly evenly:
Let's go back to the fresh air. A couple more general views from different exits on the road:
At some point, the road stops twisting so brutally and going up sharply. The crazy 36 turns are left behind, endless snow gives way to surprisingly green views. Far, far away in the distance a small piece of Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria, begins to be visible. This is already closer to the standard places tourist types Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, which can be found on the website, in Wikipedia and in the booklets that are given to you at the entrance.
View of the road in the opposite direction. This is where we came from:
Here you can already see the handsome Grossglockner, below you can see a “small” wall - this is the dam of the next mountain lake, of which there are many here.
Confused Grossglockner:
Here I went right into the middle of the road, so that it was clear what kind of view usually opens through the windshield of a car. To my right I can see a small piece of the next exit from the road where we parked:
Another version of the semi-tunnel through which we had to pass:
A little before reaching the tunnel, a view of a huge mountain lake-reservoir blocked by a dam opens up. You saw a piece of this dam in one of the previous photographs.
Immediately after the tunnel you come to the main attraction of these parts - the 10-kilometer Pasterze Glacier, located next to Grossglockner. The views there are absolutely fantastic, and photographs, unfortunately, cannot convey either the scale or beauty.
The hill from which this huge glacier slides:
Somewhere below you can see melting glacial lakes:
Quite an alien look, in my opinion:
The cul-de-sac near Grossglockner and the Pasterze Glacier is bustling with life. There is a huge information center, the Swarovski Observatory, cafes, souvenir shops, a multi-story parking lot, several observation platforms and the beginning of a short trek through the mountains.
Here you can see the top floor of this entire civilization. Under the parking lot are just half of the delights listed above, i.e. this level of parking is located on the roof:
View of the mountains, lakes and road from one of the top viewpoints – the road that starts the local trek:
At the very beginning of the trek there is a monument to Emperor Franz Joseph, who once also made small treks in these places:
Let's go down a little lower, to where the presence of civilization is felt especially acutely. View of one of the observation decks from just over high point review:
One of the main attractions of these regions is they, the promised murmultirs. A sign like this alerts you to the presence of vibrant mountain life right under your feet:
And indeed, below, right ahead, you can see many, many holes, from which well-fed marmots scurry back and forth, accustomed to being watched from somewhere above and throwing food to them:
In German, the marmot sounds touchingly pleasant - Murmeltier:
By the way, in German the verb “murmeln” means “to grumble”, “mumble”, so the marmot is literally translated as “a grumbling animal”, or “a grumbling and muttering animal”. :)
Lots of murmults. Judging by the number of burrows visible in the distance, there are a LOT of murmultires:
Actually, it’s not difficult to guess what the marmots walking below are waiting for: they are so accustomed to “manna from heaven” periodically falling on them from above that now they are simply brazenly walking around waiting for this very manna. This time they were sent pieces of bread as manna:
Well, it’s time to leave these lands after all. All good things come to an end, such as the time available. A farewell look at the views around us on the way to the southern exit from Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse:
If you remember, at the very beginning I wrote that the classic travel route is from the settlement of Bruck near Zell am See to the settlement of Heiligenblut, which is located on the south side of the road. Part of the road on this route is toll, part is free. The southern end of the road - the settlement of Heiligenblut - is a free piece of the road. If you follow the indicated route, you will have to go beyond the paid part (the ticket is valid all day for an unlimited number of entries and exits, and the paid part begins immediately after Heiligenblut).
It’s worth going beyond the toll part towards Heiligenblut for the simple reason that there is a fairly famous and incredibly beautiful mountain church here – the Church of the Holy Blood:
The church itself is probably not that different from other churches in the area, but because of its location and the legend that the blood of Jesus Christ is kept inside, Heiligenblut has become a very popular tourist destination.
Inside the church:
There is a small cemetery near the church, from where there are views of the surrounding area:
Well, let’s add some variety to the snowy snow: a beautiful yellow autumn...
This is a shortened version of three posts on related topics. Primary sources here.
I dreamed of preparing today’s post for a very long time, since it will talk about the most beautiful place of our entire trip. I really like alpine mountain passes. Firstly, the roads are laid in very beautiful places, and secondly, the Europeans made sure that tourists here were as comfortable as possible. The Austrians are not at all behind Switzerland in this regard. Today I will tell you about one of the most picturesque mountain routes in Austria - the Grossglockner panoramic road. Welcome to Austria!
Immediately after Verona we headed to the Austrian town of Lienz, which is located very close to the Grossglockner road. To be honest, it turned out a little crumpled due to the long distance (300 km) and the late departure from Verona. Part of the journey had to be covered in the dark: Lienz and Dolomites We hardly saw it. We spent the night in a small country hotel on the outskirts of Lienz.
How nice it is to wake up early in the morning, leave the hotel and breathe in the cold mountain air. This is an indescribable feeling!
Europeans tend to get up very early, especially in rural areas.
The village where we spent the night is called Lavant. There is a parish church of St. Ulrich, located on the mountain:
We didn’t go up there, but here’s a photo of the interior of the church from Wiki, isn’t it cool?
Michael Kranewitter via Wikimedia Commons
Someone left several cases of beer cooling in the fountain opposite the hotel entrance:
Starting from Lienz, the road smoothly rises into the mountains and passes along the most beautiful places with an abundance of observation platforms.
The Grossglockner panoramic road itself starts from the town of Heiligenblut, 40 km from Lienz.
The road got its name in honor of the highest mountain in Austria - Grossglockner, whose height is 3798 m. Here it first appears in view (snow-capped peak):
The Grossglockner road is not an ordinary road for utilitarian purposes, rather it is a tourist attraction. For faster travel, use the A10 expressway.
The panoramic road is a serpentine of 36 turns, about 48 km long. At the very beginning of the road it has a small branch that leads to the Pasterze Glacier and the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center. There is the maximum approach point to Grossglockner.
Image from websitewww.grossglockner.at
Well, here we are finally on the road itself. A little historical facts: It was put into operation in 1935. However, when in 1924 a group of Austrian experts presented a plan to build a road through the Hochtor Pass, it was met with skepticism. At that time, in Austria, Germany and Italy there were only 154 thousand private cars, 92 thousand motorcycles, and 2000 km of asphalt roads. Austria suffered catastrophic economic losses in the First World War, reduced its size sevenfold, lost its international markets, and suffered crippling inflation.
Even a simple 3 meter wide gravel road project with passing lanes proved to be too expensive. The impetus for the construction of the road, which would open the barren Alpine valley to motorized tourism, came from a downturn in the New York stock market in 1929. This disaster greatly shook poor Austria. Within three years, production fell by a quarter. Then the government revived the Grossglockner project in order to give jobs to 3,200 (out of 520 thousand!) unemployed. In the new project, the road was widened to 6 meters, counting on 120 thousand visitors per year. The state decided to cover construction costs by introducing tolls for road use.
On August 30, 1930, at 9:30 am, the first rock explosion was carried out. Four years later, the head of the Salzburg government drove along the new road for the first time. A year later, the Grossglockner high mountain road was put into operation. And the very next day the international automobile and motorcycle races Grossglockner Races were held on it.
Construction costs turned out to be less than planned, and attendance in the first years significantly exceeded the most optimistic estimates. Subsequently, a phased modernization of the road was carried out. Its width and the number of parking lots, located in the most picturesque places, increased.
From the first day of operation, travel on the road was paid. Now the fare averages 20-50 euros, depending on the validity of the ticket and the type of transport. A standard 1-day passenger car ticket costs 32 euros.
The road is open to tourists from May to October. In winter, the passage is closed because the snowfall often exceeds 10 meters.
Here is a short video taken on the way to the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center. By the way, it was filmed just a few days before we visited there:
Around the next turn there is a magnificent view of the glacier and the Grossglockner peak. The Pasterze Glacier is the largest in Austria, its length is about 9 km.
The melting of the glacier began as early as 1856 due to high summer temperatures and low winter precipitation.
Despite record summer temperatures in Europe, scientists from the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences attribute the melting of glaciers to long-term climate changes.
Find two tourists in this photo:
A branch of the road eventually leads to the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center. In addition to the standard tourism infrastructure(restaurants, tourist center), here you can find several exhibitions, for example, the Grossglockner Glacier and Peak Museum. There is even a museum of automobile history, although I could not find information about it on the Internet. Apparently this is a temporary exhibition. In general, the Grossglockner road attracts owners of vintage cars from all over Europe, but more on that later.
This place is visited by a huge number of tourists, so there are several spacious parking lots, including one multi-level one.
The overwhelming number of tourists are pensioners. They sit on the veranda of the restaurant, bask in the sun and have lunch. Happy old age!
Grossglockner was first conquered in 1800. The first attempt to climb was made a year earlier, but failed due to bad weather. A day after the first ascent, a wooden cross was placed on the summit. In 1879 it was renovated and dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the marriage of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth, who visited Grossglockner in 1865.
The name Glocknerer first appeared on maps in 1561. Grossglockner first described in his book Balthasar Ake: naturalist, geologist, geographer, doctor, scientist, who is considered a pioneer of mountaineering. Interestingly, until 1918 the mountain was privately owned. Currently, Grossglockner belongs to the Austrian Alpine Community.
When you zoom in as far as possible, you can see the previous photo as in this moment a large group of climbers conquers the peak. I noticed this quite by accident when I was preparing a post. Now there are about 5,000 ascents of Grossglockner annually.
To be continued in the next post.
Materials used in preparing this post.
