Bavarian Alps

Bavarian Alps
Bayerische Alpen
View of the Mangfall Mountains from Bodenschneid looking west to the Wallberg
Highest point
Peak	Zugspitze
Elevation
Coordinates
Geography
Countries	Germany and Austria
Range coordinates
Parent range	Alps
Borders on	Western Rhaetian Alps, North Tyrol Limestone Alps and Northern Salzburg Alps
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny

The Bavarian Alps (German: Bayerische Alpen) are a mountain range in the north-eastern part of the Alps.

Geography

The term Bavarian Alps in its wider sense refers to that part of the Alps that lies on Bavarian state territory in Germany. However it is usually understood that the Bavarian Alps are only those ranges between the rivers Lech and Saalach in Germany. In this narrower sense, the Allgäu Alps, which have only been part of Bavaria in more recent times, and the Berchtesgaden Alps are not considered part of the Bavarian Alps.

The term is frequently used, but does not correspond to the classification of the Eastern Alps developed by the German-speaking Alpine Clubs. It should not be confused with the term Bavarian Prealps either. The latter only covers the Bavarian section of the prealps between the River Loisach in the west and the River Inn in the east.

Notable summits

The Bavarian Alps in their broader sense include the following parts of the mountain ranges listed − in this tabular overview sorted roughly from west to east and with maximum heights shown in metres (m) above sea level (NN). The highest peaks and elevations shown relate to that part of the mountain group that lies in Bavaria, and not to the overall group. For example the highest mountain of the Allgäu Alps, the 2,657 m (AA) high Großer Krottenkopf, lies in Tyrol and is not shown in the table.

The highest peak in the Bavarian Alps and in Germany as a whole is the Zugspitze. It lies in the western part of the Wetterstein range and has a high Alpine character with its height of 2,962 m above NN as well as its two small glaciers.

By clicking on the word "List" in the various rows of the Lists column, a list other mountains in the particular range may be viewed (noting that some of them will be outside Bavaria or the Bavarian Alps). The table may be sorted by clicking on the sort symbols in the column headers.

The Zugspitze Massif (left); highest mountain in Germany in Upper Bavaria (from the southwest / Fernpass)

Range	Lists	Proportion in Bavarian Alps	Highest peak on Bavarian state territory	Height (m)
Allgäu Alps	List	part	Hochfrottspitze	2,649
Ammergau Alps	List	most	Kreuzspitze	2,185
Wetterstein	List	part	Zugspitze	2,962
Bavarian Prealps	List	part	Krottenkopf	2,086
Karwendel	List	part	Östliche Karwendelspitze	2,538
Chiemgau Alps	List	most	Sonntagshorn	1,961
Berchtesgaden Alps	List	part	Watzmann	2,713

Landscape

Like the Alps as a whole, the Bavarian Alps, as part of the Northern Limestone Alps, were heavily influenced by the last ice age. Cirques, lakes and typical U-shaped valleys were formed by the glaciers. Depositions by ice age rivers and glaciers left behind a gently rolling landscape in the Alpine Foreland with lakes and bogs.

Literature

• DAV: Alpenvereins-Jahrbuch "Berg '84": Die Einteilung der Ostalpen
• Bogner Franz X. (2011). Die deutschen Alpen aus der Luft. Rosenheimer Verlag, ISBN 978-3475540752.

External links

• Tour descriptions for the Bavarian Alpspt:Pré-Alpes bávaros