Allgäu Alps | |
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German: Allgäuer Alpen | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Großer Krottenkopf |
Elevation | 2,656 m (8,714 ft) |
Coordinates | 47°18′43″N 10°21′22″E / 47.31194°N 10.35611°ECoordinates: 47°18′43″N 10°21′22″E / 47.31194°N 10.35611°E |
Geography | |
Countries | Germany and Austria |
Region | Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg |
Parent range | Northern Limestone Alps |
Borders on | Lechtal Alps and Ammergau Alps |
Geology | |
Type of rock | Sedimentary |
The Allgäu Alps (German: Allgäuer Alpen) are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located in Bavaria in Germany and Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. The range lies directly east of Lake Constance.
The mountain range is characterised by an unusual variety of rock formations and consequently a rich tapestry of landscapes, in particular, the steep "grass mountains" (Grasberge) of the Allgäu Alps with gradients of up to 70°. Its flora is amongst the most varied in the whole Alpine region and its accessibility by lifts and paths is outstanding. The mountain paths (Höhenwege) running from hut to hut are well known and hikers can spend seven to ten days walking in the mountains without descending to inhabited valleys. Thanks to its location on the northern edge of the Alps, the region has relatively high precipitation and is the rainiest in Germany. In winter the Allgäu Alps – at least in the higher regions – are comparatively snowy. Even a small glacier and several permanent snowfields survive.
The Allgäu Alps and the Allgäu region are not identical. The Allgäu is a landscape that, according to present-day understanding, is (almost entirely, but see Tannheimer Tal) on German soil. By contrast, the Allgäu Alps are a mountain range of the Alps whose definition falls out of the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps. Parts of the Allgäu Alps, including its highest summit, lie on Austrian soil. The Allgäu region, however, extends far beyond the Allgäu Alps to the north and northwest.
The Allgäu Alps border on the Bregenz Forest Mountains in the west, the Lechquellen Mountains in the southwest, the Lechtal Alps in the south and southeast and the Ammergau Alps in the east. All these ranges belong, like the Allgäu Alps themselves, to the Northern Limestone Alps. In the north the Allgäu Alps give way to the Alpine Foreland.