Kalkalpen National Park
Östlicher Sengsengebirgsgrat © Sieghartsleitner
The Sengsengebirge is a northern outpost of the Limestone Alps. The ca. 20 km long main ridge reaches its highest point at the Hoher Nock (1,963 m).
The name Sengsengebirge can be traced back to the use of the forests as a source of energy for the numerous scythe smithies once located here.
Hintergebirge © Mayrhofer The Reichraminger Hintergebirge is one of Austria's largest distinct forest areas - a sea of forest, which has not yet been dissected by public transportation routes and human habitation. Here, you will also find one of the longest intact stream systems of the Eastern Alps. Old shelters and overgrown trails remind us today of how wood was used and harvested in earlier times.
Facts & Figures
Established: July 25, 1997
Area: 20,850 ha
Zoning: 89% nature zone, 11% conservation area
Property: 88% federally owned (Austrian Forestry Service), 11% privately owned, and 1% municipal property
Internationally recognized: as a national park (IUCN category II) since 1998, Ramsar protected area (wetland of global importance), and Natura 2000 area (European nature reserve) since 2004
Elevation: 385 to 1,963 m (Hohe Nock)
Main types of rock: Wetterstein limestone, primary Dolomite
Landscape Classification of Kalkalpen National Park
81% forest
8% mountain pine
6% alpine pastures and Meadows
5% rock and scree
Austria´s first World Natural Heritag beech forests
The beech forests of the Kalkalpen National Park and the primeval beech forest of the Dürrenstein Wilderness Area represent the beech distribution area of the Alps. Together, the two protected areas bring about 7,120 hectares of beech forests into the World Heritage Site.
