Grossglockner

Heiligenblut village with the Grossglockner in the background, Austria

Grossglockner, highest peak (12,460 feet [3,798 metres]) in Austria and in the Hohe Tauern (range of the Eastern Alps). It lies astride the border between Bundesländer (federal states) Tirol and Kärnten. The most magnificent of the glaciers on the mountain is the Pasterze Glacier, 5 miles (8 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide. The Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse, a highway (opened 1935) connecting Dölfach to the north with Heiligenblut to the south, lies to the east of the peak. The road has two tunnels (the Mitteltörl and Hochtor), and a branch road leads to the base of the Pasterze Glacier. Winter sports, mountain climbing, and beautiful scenery make the peak a noted tourist attraction. It was first climbed in 1800.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Heather Campbell.