Salzkammergut and Upper Austria Alps

The Salzkammergut and Upper Austria Alps form a mountain range in Austria’s northern limestone sector. The name Salzkammergut comes from the old imperial salt authority that once controlled the region’s mines. This range stretches across Upper Austria, Salzburg and a small part of Styria. The Danube drains the entire area, carrying water from its slopes to the Black Sea. In the SOIUSA classification it is listed as section II/B-25 within the Eastern Alps. The Dachstein, Salzkammergut and Totes mountains make up its four subsections. The Dachstein mountains include the famous Dachstein glacier and the five-finger viewing platform. The Salzkammergut mountains contain the town of Bad Ischl, once the summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Totes mountains rise to rugged plateaus and sheer cliffs. The Upper Austrian Prealps lie lower, forming gentle foothills before the plains. Visitors find high peaks, glaciers and alpine meadows across the range. The Dachstein glacier offers year-round skiing and ice caves to explore. The five-finger platform projects over a 400-metre drop with views of the glacier. Bad Ischl’s imperial villas recall the 19th-century Habsburg summers. The Totes mountains provide steep hiking trails and dramatic rock faces. In the Prealps, gentle walks lead through forests and past clear mountain lakes.