Kaiser Mountains (Kaisergebirge) |
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The Kaiser Mountains from the south
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Highest point | |
Peak | Ellmauer Halt |
Elevation | 2,344 m (7,690 ft) |
Geography | |
Country | Austria |
State | Tyrol |
Range coordinates | 47°33′42″N 12°18′7″E / 47.56167°N 12.30194°ECoordinates: 47°33′42″N 12°18′7″E / 47.56167°N 12.30194°E |
Parent range | Northern Limestone Alps |
The Kaiser Mountains (German: Kaisergebirge, lit. "emperor mountains") or just Kaiser, are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps. It consists of two main mountain ridges – the Zahmer Kaiser ("gentle or tame emperor") to the north and the Wilder Kaiser ("wild or fierce emperor") to the south. The entire range is situated in the Austrian state of Tyrol between the town of Kufstein and the market town of St. Johann in Tirol. The Kaiser Mountains offer some of the loveliest scenery in all the Northern Limestone Alps.
The Kaiser Mountains are divided into the Wilder Kaiser or Wild Kaiser chain of mountains, formed predominantly of bare limestone rock, and the Zahmer Kaiser ("Tame Kaiser"), whose southern side is mainly covered by mountain pine. These two mountain ridges are linked by the 1,580-metre-high Stripsenjoch pass, but are separated in the west by the valley of Kaisertal and in the east by the Kaiserbach valley. In total the Kaiser extends for about 20 km (12 mi) in an east-west direction and about 14 km (8.7 mi) from north to south, giving a total area of some 280 square kilometres (110 sq mi). The Zahmer Kaiser only just breaks through the 2,000 metre barrier (in the Vordere Kesselschneid). The highest elevation in the Wilder Kaiser is the Ellmauer Halt in the borough of Kufstein at 2,344 metres (7,690 ft). There are around forty other summits, including many well-known climbing peaks such as the Karlspitzen, Totenkirchl, Fleischbank, Predigtstuhl, Goinger Halt, Ackerlspitze and Maukspitze.