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Frequently asked Questions

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Why do we need a National Park?
  • To look after undisturbed places. Top priority is the need to preserve not just the protected area, in all its pristine beauty, but also the animals and plants that are characteristic of that area, along with their habitats.
  • To take care of what was achieved in the past: the preservation of the traditional cultural landscape in the buffer zone
  • To explore the unknown: to research and publicise the secrets of life
  • To facilitate an experience of great things: to allow the largest possible circle of people to gain an experience of the wonders of nature

What do we do?
  • We protect and explore nature, provide information and offer recreation
  • We preserve rare species of animals and plants (some of which are threatened with extinction) as well as their habitats
  • We invest today into the precious nature of tomorrow
  • We preserve the Hohe Tauern and revive the region
  • We make nature a real life experience and provide recreation at the highest level
  • We carry out research so as to be able to protect nature in a way that is grounded in solid science
  • We ensure modern, collaborative nature conservation
What does IUCN mean?
Established in 1948 the IUCN is an International Union for the Conservation of Nature and natural resources (IUCN). It consists of states, public agencies and a number of different non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This global partnership embraces as many as 800 members, in 125 states worldwide. It strives to motivate society towards a realisation that our nature is a precious jewel that must not be handled in an unthinking manner. Natural resources need to be used in an ecologically sound fashion and the diversity and intactness of nature call for our very special care.
What are the advantages of international recognition?
  • Product authentification; official worldwide recognition as a national park; being membership of the best known family of protected areas worldwide
  • Safeguarding and increasing the allocation of public funds for the National Park from Federal and the Provincial sources
  • Making it easier secure other national or international funding subsidies
  • Gaining competitive advantages in product marketing and tourism in the NP region, thanks to international recognition of the protected area
History
The formal establishment of the Hohe Tauern National Park was concluded when the Heads of the Provincial Governments of Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol signed a three-province agreement in Heiligenblut on 21st October 1971.

Rates of implementation were different in the three different provinces, and, in part, the project was carried out in successive stages.

In 1981 Carinthia started with the designation of areas in the Schober and Glockner group
In 1984 Salzburg followed suit with the Pinzgau, from Krimml to Rauris, and in1986 Carinthia went further with Mallnitz - Hochalmspitze
In 1991 Salzburg designated from Bad Gastein to Muhr
In 1992 came the East-Tyrolean part, and in 2001 the enlargement around the Zirknitz in Carinthia

Size of the national park
The total surface area of the Hohe Tauern National Park covers 1,836 km².

This figure can be broken down as follows:
Carinthia: 420 km² (core zone: 277; buffer zone: 107; specially protected areas: 36)
Salzburg: 805 km² (core zone: 507; buffer zone: 266; specially protected areas: 32)
Tyrol: 611 km² (core zone: 347; buffer zone: 264)

In Carinthia there are two specially protected areas: the Grossglockner Pasterze and the Gamsgrube. In Salzburg there are three: the Inner Untersulzbach valley, the Piffkar, and the Wandl

The extension from east to west is 100 km, and from north to south 40 km. The highest summit is the Grossglockner at 3,798 m, and the lowest spot in the protected area lies at a height of 1,010 m. above sea level

The northernmost point is at 47 degrees, 15 mins., 21 sec. north, and 12 degrees, 23 mins, 43 sec. east, at Bichlinger Schlag, which is south of Mühlbach in the Pinzgau, and Hollersbach, in the Province of Salzburg (BMN M31: 379043.58 / 235598.05).

The easternmost point is 47 degrees, 04 mins, 13 sec north, and 13 degrees, 24 mins, 28 sec east, on the summit of the Kleiner Hafner, in Muhr in the Province of Salzburg (BMN M31: 455614.11 / 214456.92).

The southernmost point is 46 degrees, 52 mins, 49 sec north, and 12 degrees 50 mins, 53 sec east, in the northeast of the Winkler alpine pasture, in Winklern, in the Province of Carinthia (BMN M31: 413150.05 / 193494.96).

The westernmost point is 47 degrees, 11 mins, 48 sec north, and 12 degrees, 04 mins, 57 sec. east, at the Sonntagskar, in the Wildgerlos valley in Krimml, in the Province of Salzburg (BMN M31: 355213.17 / 228860.91).

Region, National Park Municipalities and population
When reference is made to "the National Park" this means only the 1,836 km² of protected area as laid down by law.
However it is much more difficult to define the term "Region", and there are differences of approach even within the three NP provinces:

In Carinthia the National Park Municipalities are identical with the National Park Region Municipalities: Grosskirchheim-Doellach (the administrative centre), Heiligenblut, Mallnitz, Malta, Moertschach, Obervellach and Winklern

In Salzburg there is a difference between the National Park Municipalities: Bad Gastein, Bramberg, Fusch an der Glocknerstrasse, Hollersbach, Huettschlag, Mittersill, Kaprun, Krimml, Muhr, Neukirchen am Grossvenediger (administrative centre), Rauris, Uttendorf and Wald, and the National Park Region Municipalities: National Park Municipalities plus Bruck an der Glocknerstrasse, Grossarl, Lend, Niedernsill, Piesendorf, Stuhlfelden and Taxenbach. The tourist associations of the Region's municipalities are members of the Hohe Tauern National Park Holiday Region. The "Leader Region" for the EU promotional programme stretches across the National Park Region.

In Tyrol the National Park Municipalities are again identical with the National Park Region Municipalities: Doelsach, Hopfgarten in Defereggen, Iselsberg-Stronach, Kals, Matrei in Osttirol (administrative centre), Nussdorf-Debant, Praegraten, St. Jakob in Defereggen, St. Veit in Defereggen, and Virgen.

Population development in the National Park (Region) Municipalities:

National Park Municipalities:
2001: 61.113
1991: 58.937
1981: 56.288
1971: 53.266

National Park Region Municipalities:
2001: 78.592
1991: 74.593
1981: 71.292
1971: 67.280

Mountains, lakes and glaciers
The Hohe Tauern National Park accommodates 266 summits with heights of over 3,000m (official 1:50,000 map), of which
- 41 are located in the Carinthian area,
- 54 are located in the Salzburg area,
- 86 are located solely in the East-Tyrolean area,
- 18 are located on the borders between Carinthia and Tyrol,
- 31 are located on the borders between Carinthia and Salzburg,
- 14 are located on the borders between Salzburg and Tyrol,
- the Eiskoegele at 3,426 m is a three-province-mountain, located at the intersection between the three National Park provinces,
- the Dreiherrn peak at 3,499 m is a three-province-mountain, located at the intersection between Salzburg, Tyrol and South Tyrol,
- and 20 summits over 3,000 m high are located on the borders between East Tyrol and South Tyrol.

In the Hohe Tauern National Park there are 551 lakes and tarns, with sizes between 27.03 ha and 35 m² (official 1:50.000 map and "orthophotos" from a flight in 2003). 131 of them have an (officially) accepted name.

Carinthia has 138 (123 core zone, 15 buffer zone)
Salzburg has 200 (140 core zone, 60 buffer zone), and
Tyrol has 213 (122 core zone, 91 buffer zone).

The five largest are:
Lake Kratzenbergsee, Salzburg, Hollersbach Valley; 27.03 ha
Lake Eissee, Salzburg, Krimml Achen Valley; 25,06 ha
Lower Lake Schwarzsee, Salzburg, Muhr; 20.47 ha
Lake Wangenitzsee, Carinthia, Wangenitz Valley; 19.15 ha
Lower Lake Gerlossee, Salzburg, Wildgerlos Valley; 13.60 ha

Nine lakes are larger than 10 ha;
a further 80 are between 1 and 10 ha,
a further 346 are between 1,000 m² and 10,000 m², and
a further 116 are smaller than 1,000 m².

However specifying the precise number of glaciers is much more difficult by far. A figure of about 250 is fairly plausible. In any case the longest is certainly the Pasterze glacier, in the Grossglockner group. It is 5 km long, from the leading edge of the glacier to the Hufeisenbruch, and it stretches for 7 km from the leading edge up to Johannisberg mountain (last update: 2003).