Gurktal Alps


The Gurktal Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria, named after the valley of the Gurk River.

Geography

Location

The range is located between the Mur Valley in the north, separating it from the Niedere Tauern, and the Drava in the south, where it borders on the Gailtal Alps and Karavanke ranges of the Southern Limestone Alps. In the west, the Gurktal Alps reach up to the Katschberg Pass and the Ankogel Group of the Hohe Tauern range. In the east, the Neumarkt Pass in Upper Styria separates it from the adjacent Lavanttal Alps.

Subdivisions

The Gurktal Alps may be divided into five subgroups:
At the southern end of the Gurktal Alps is the Klagenfurt Basin. Here there are seven more smaller mountain chains:
Occasionally the Gurktal Alps, along with the Lavanttal Alps to the east, are classified as part of the Noric Alps, but that is not geologically justified.

Peaks

The highest peaks are located within the Nock Mountains subgroup west of Flattnitz Pass, including Mt. Eisenhut,, in Styria. The Nationalpark Nockberge along the scenic Nockalm Road in Carinthia since 1987 is a protected landscape area. The Nock Mountains also stretch down to major Carinthian lakes like Millstätter See and Ossiacher See.
Other peaks include:
The gentle landscape with its numerous mountain pastures had been the site of transhumance agriculture since ancient times. The Gurktal Alps were also a mining area for iron and silver, still magnesite deposits are exploited near Radenthein.
Today tourism is the most important economic sector. The valleys of the Gurktal Alps cater for tourists in summer and for the busy winter season. The leading tourist area is Bad Kleinkirchheim, then Turracher Höhe, Falkert and Innerkrems, Flattnitz, Afritz and Katschberg. The largest ski areas are Katschberg-Aineck, Innerkrems-Schönfeld-Karneralm, Turracher Höhe and Gerlitzen in the Nock Mountains and Kreischberg in the Metnitz Mountains.
The region of the Nock Mountains is also well known for its healing spas. The Karlbad along the Nockalmstraße is the oldest farmers healing spring in Austria. The way in which the baths are made, has remained unchanged since the 17th century. Their remote location means there is also no electricity. The name of the spa is derived from the little cirque.