Schwarzwand

The Schwarzwand stands at 2 204 m in the Goldberggruppe of the Central Alps, its summit marking the border between Bad Hofgastein to the south and Dorfgastein to the north. The mountain’s northern side drops away in a sheer rock face, and a new summit cross was placed in 2016. Close neighbours include the Jedlkopf at 2 175 m, the Wachtberg at 1 931 m, the Guggenstein at 1 979 m and the higher Kramkogel at 2 454 m. Two alpine pastures lie on its flanks: the Biberalm on the eastern slopes and the Schmaranzalm on the western side beyond the Schwarzwandscharte. The rock layers tell a story of deep geological change. The summit ridge itself is built of prasinite and amphibolite, while marble, phyllite and mica-schist appear on the southern slopes. Lower down, clastic sediments give way to patches of green alder scrub. A wildlife refuge for chamois occupies the southern flank from 1 December to 31 May each year. Three long-distance trails cross the area: the Rupertiweg loops around the north, east and south faces, the Salzburger Almenweg follows the eastern and southern edges, and the Zentralalpenweg runs along the northern and eastern sides. Walkers reach the top by the Hohe Scharte from the Biberalm, or by the Schwarzwandscharte from the Schmaranzalm. The Biberalm–Wiedneralm mountain-bike route starts in Bad Hofgastein and climbs past these pastures. Views stretch to the Kramkogel, the Guggenstein and the surrounding valleys. The mountain’s slopes carry traces of the routes described in Franz Tursky’s 1927 guide to the Goldberggruppe, linking peaks such as the Schauerkögerl and the Kramkogel.