Himmel

The Himmel is a rounded, forested mountain in the Steiermark near Thörl and Aflenz. It stands as a rare example of a heavily wooded peak in the Grauwackenzone, unusual for the region. The mountain has two summits and reaches 1,145 metres above sea level. Its geology tells a story of ancient rocks from the Palaeozoic era, dark schists that form a narrow strip between the Hochschwab limestone massif and the Central Alps core. Known as the Mittelostalpin, this area was shaped by a distinct geological process. To the east, the peaks gradually lower until they vanish beneath younger sediments near the Semmering Pass, fifty kilometres away. The Floning, another Central Alpine summit south of the Himmel, rises to 1,584 metres and shows sharper ridges. Visitors find gentle meadows and winding paths on the eastern slopes, where the Himmelspitz spur juts out. The Finstertal valley below is narrow and steep, carved by the Strohsitzbach stream that flows into the Thörlbach. Local water sources feed small springs used by nearby farms. The surrounding area belongs to the Thörler Zug, a twenty-kilometre-long geological unit that includes the Troiseck-Floning ridge.