Alps & Lakes in the West: Großglockner

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The summit of Mount Großglockner, the highest mountain of Austria

The summit of Mount Großglockner between Salzburg and Carinthia. The highest mountain of Austria (3848 metres) is a majestic feature, especially in the winter as shown on this picture. Just by the Großglockner, there is a glacier (the "Pasterze") and a visitor centre. You can get there either from Carinthia or Salzburg, via the "Großglockner Hochalpenstraße". This road was built in the 1920ies and 1930ies to fight unemployment and to attract tourists to the then underdeveloped alpine regions of Salzburg.

It worked: Toady, the road is the second most popular tourist destination in Austria after Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Museums and exhibition centres on the side of the road inform about flora and fauna of the National Park, the hard labour of constructing the road and the impact it had on the local economy. These museums supplement absolutely stunning views and guarantee that you will get good value for money (there is a toll charged for entering the road). As far as mountains in Europe go, it doesn't get much better than this.