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Lechquellen Mountains

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The Lechquellen Mountains ( German : Lechquellengebirge ) or Lechquellen range is a small mountain group within the Northern Limestone Alps of the Eastern Alps . It lies entirely within the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and includes the upper reaches of the river Lech with its headstreams in a horseshoe shape as well as the Upper Großwalsertal valley .

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24-620: The name Lechquellengebirge (literally "Lech source mountains") is certainly accurate, for the greater part of the mountain range surrounds the upper reaches of the Lech with its two spring-fed streams, the Formarinbach and the Spullerbach . Nevertheless, it is in fact an artificial name made up by Walther Flaig at a time when the development of mountaineering in the Alps had been largely completed. Previously,

48-765: A geological point of view, the north-west Rätikon is assigned to the Northern Limestone Alps , while the South-West Rätikon belongs to the Bündner Schist /Bündner slate of the Western Alps. Its chief peaks are: For a list of passes see Passes of the Silvretta and Rätikon Ranges . A multiday hike that follows a big portion of the Rätikon chain on its southern side is called "Prättigauer Höhenweg". The Rätikon

72-722: A height of 700 metres above the Klostertal valley in the southern part of the Lechquellen mountains. There are five Alpine Club huts in the mountains: These huts, with the exception of the Frassen Hut, are part of the Lechquellenrunde . North Alpine long-distance path 01, the Limestone Alps Way ( Kalkalpenweg ), crosses the Lechquellen as follows: The Via Alpina , a cross-border long-distance path with five sections through

96-662: A region called the Lechrain , and passes the cities of Schongau , Landsberg , Augsburg (where it receives the Wertach ) and Rain before entering the Danube just below Donauwörth at an elevation of 410 metres (1,330 ft). It is not navigable, owing to its torrential character and the gravel beds which choke its channel. There are extensive views of the Lech valley from Neuschwanstein Castle , near Füssen. Inscriptions from 8/7 B. C. prove that

120-700: Is adjacent to the following other mountain groups in the Alps: Because of the many mountains, the Rätikon is a first class area for all alpine sports such as hiking , skiing (including freeriding ), cross-country skiing , mountain biking , etc. The position of the mountain chain allows for beautiful and panoramic views. The cableways permit shortened ascents and descents and enable pure high-altitude hiking. Thanks to many Alpine shelters ("huts"), daylong or multi-day walks are possible. Many huts are hosted and offer sleeping accommodations. The season usually starts in early April to late September / October, depending on

144-518: Is ideal for hikers and there is a system of mountain huts connected by a mountain path which follows the entire "horseshoe" of the peaks, but requires some alpine experience - at least until the middle of the summer. The western ramp of the Arlberg railway follows the southern edge of the Lechquellen mountains. Its power is supplied by hydroelectricity from the overflow of the Spullersee, which lies at

168-649: Is its limit, and in the north, it is the Walgau. In the east, it borders the Silvretta groups. The Rätikon mountain range derives its name from Raetia , a province of the Roman Empire , named after the Rhaetian ( Raeti or Rhaeti ) people. The classification of the Rätikon to the central Eastern Alps is based solely on geographic-geological traditions. Large parts of the Rätikon consist of sedimentary rocks ( limestone ). From

192-688: The mouth is 115 m /s (4,100 cu ft/s). Its source is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg , where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the Alps at an altitude of 1,870 metres (6,120 ft). It flows in a north-north-easterly direction and crosses the German border, forming the Lechfall, a 12-metre-high (39 ft) waterfall; afterwards the river enters a narrow gorge (the Lechschlucht). Leaving

216-502: The Alps, it enters the plains of the Allgäu at Füssen at an elevation of 790 metres (2,580 ft) in the German state of Bavaria , where it used to be the location of the boundary with Swabia . The river runs through the city of Füssen and through the Forggensee , a man-made lake which is drained in winter. Here, it forms rapids and a waterfall. The river flows further northwards through

240-832: The Argenbach. Then it goes up the Argenbach until just before Damuels and continues along the Faschinabach in the west to the Faschinajoch saddle. From there it descends into the Große Walsertal and along the Lutz to its confluence with the Ill. It then follows the Ill back to Bludenz. [1] The Flexen Pass connects the Lechquellen Mountains with the Lechtal Alps . The Hochtannberg Pass forms

264-605: The Graubünden or Grisons Rätikon, huts of the Swiss Alpine Club and other mountain houses may be found: In Montafon/Vorarlberg: In Grison/Graubünden: Lech (river) The Lech ( Latin : Licus , Licca ) is a river in Austria and Germany . It is a right tributary of the Danube 255 kilometres (158 mi) in length with a drainage basin of 3,919 square kilometres (1,513 sq mi). Its average discharge at

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288-471: The Lechquellen mountains there are two larger core zones, the Gadental and the area Faludriga Nova . The mountain forests in these core zones have not been used for a number of years in forestry . As a result, these core zones already present today the image of natural mountainous (virgin) forests with trees of different age classes and a high proportion of dead-wood in the Northern Limestone Alps . There are

312-758: The alpine town of Bludenz along the Klostertal to the Flexen Pass . From there, it continues in the east via Zürs and Lech and along the Lech to its confluence with the Krumbach. The Krumbach forms the boundary of the range in the north up to the Hochtann Mountain Pass . From there, it runs along the Seebach via the village of Schröcken and continues along the Bregenzer Ach stream up to Au and its confluence with

336-665: The following nature reserves : Plant protection area: Natura-2000 -areas: Raetikon The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps , located at the border between Vorarlberg , Liechtenstein and Graubünden . It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine . In the south, the Prättigau

360-521: The great popularity another hut named Freiburger hut was opened in 1912 on the Rauhen Joch , as well as the Ravensburger hut near the Spullersee in the same year. The Lechquellen mountains are little developed, apart from the large ski resorts and railways at Lech and Zürs . Narrow toll roads lead to the valleys, and a shuttle bus from Lech leads to the Lechquellen in summer. On the other hand, it

384-509: The interior of the mountains to a height of almost 2000 meters. But there are also larger areas with marked seclusion. The valleys were populated by the so-called Walsers - a name which is found in many Tyrolean family names. Historically, alpine farming dominates and is known today under the term alpine transhumance , a 3-phase lifestyle that highly influenced culture, traditions and architecture. Today tourism, especially ski tourism in Lech and

408-650: The link to the Allgäu Alps . The Faschinajoch is the connexion with the Bregenz Forest Mountains . Walther Flaig , a well-known alpine guide and author from Vorarlberg, had a significant influence on the definition and extent of the Lechquellen Mountains. The name he gave to the mountains and his definition of their extent was included in the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (AVE). In addition to

432-643: The mountain range had been called either the Klostertal Alps or counted as part of the Lechtal Alps east of the Flexen Pass. Artificial names often find it hard to establish themselves in everyday language. By contrast, there are Alpine groups named after placenames that go back centuries or even millennia, such as the Raetikon or the neighbouring Verwall . Others are named after valleys that have been referred to by

456-470: The named passes, there are no other passes or crossings that are accessible by car. Other relevant touristic crossings are: The Lechquellen Mountains border on the following other groups in the Alps: The 10 highest peaks in the Lechquellen Mountains are the: Other well known peaks in the Lechquellen, in order of height are the: The use of high-altitude roads (tolls) allows the motor vehicle to penetrate

480-578: The river name is first mentioned in the Celtic tribe name Licates . The river itself is called Likios or Likias in the 2nd century. Around the year 570 the name Licca is found in records. In the 8th century, names such as Lecha and Lech appeared. The term Licus is still used in 1059. The name stands in analogy to the Welsh word llech ("stone slab") and the Breton word lec'h ("gravestone"). In this context,

504-629: The same name from time immemorial, such as the Ötztal Alps . It will take decades to determine whether the name of the Lechquellen Mountains has prevailed as naturally as the name of other Alpine groups. It is also unclear whether the UIAA or even the European Union will work out and lay down an internationally recognized classification of the Alps. If they do, then the Lechquellen Mountains will either be officially recognised or absorbed into other groups. The southern boundary of Lechquellen Mountains runs from

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528-488: The smaller villages of Zürs , Stuben and Damüls , as well as hiking is important. The Lechquellen mountains was made accessible in the second half of the 19th century. The small mountain group includes the upper part of the river Lech with it spring streams as well as the upper Großwalsertal . The first hut was opened in 1894 by the Freiburg section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club at lake Formarinsee . Because of

552-619: The weather. Before starting a tour, it is advisable to inquire about vacancies and locations at regional tourist offices or in the different villages. Mountain huts operated by the following organizations are found in the Vorarlberg part of the Rätikon: German , Austrian Alpine Club and friends of nature Austria : In Liechtenstein's part of the Rätikon, the following huts of the Liechtensteiner Alpenverein may be found: In

576-639: The whole Alps, also runs through the Lechquellen Mountains. The Red Trail of the Via Alpina ( Rote Weg der Via Alpina ) has 3 stages running through the Lechquellen as follows: The Lechweg runs 125 km from lake Formarinsee to the Lechfall in Füssen (Germany). The biosphere reserve Großwalsertal also covers parts of the Lechquellen Mountains. Particularly interesting are the core zones, which, according to UNESCO , must be part of every biosphere reserve. In

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