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35-731: The Wetterwandeck is a summit, 2,698 m high, in the Wetterstein mountains on the Austro-German border. It is located south of Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze , above the Southern Schneeferner in the ridge which borders the Zugspitzplatt to the south. The first verifiable ascent of the Wetterwandeck was in 1874 by Hermann von Barth . A drag lift in the ski region on

70-450: A fallow period. They were cultivated for 2 to 5 years, then used as a meadow (and fertilized by the animals) for 3 to 10 years before going back under cultivation. However, in the mountain valleys, the fields near the communities were cultivated every year (sometimes producing two crops a year in Ticino ) while the outer fields and alpine pastures were more often allowed to lie fallow or used as

105-517: A meadow. Alpine transhumance has a strong impact on the production of cheese in the Alps. It ensures that cows, sheep and goats produce high-quality aromatic milk, the so-called Heumilch ("hay milk"), based on their special diet of natural meadow grasses. The use of hay milk in cheese production contributes to the distinctive flavour that determines more than 30 Alpine cheeses, including Alpkäse , Bergkäse and Sura Kees . The chief shepherd in charge of

140-563: Is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria , Austria , Slovenia , Italy , France and Switzerland , except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job

175-453: Is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures. Most Alpine pastures are below 2,400 m (7,900 ft); all are below 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The higher regions not suitable for transhumance are known as the High Alps . The German word Alp or Alm (meaning "seasonal mountain pasture", from Old High German alpa, alba ) is originally identical to

210-526: Is now Switzerland, including the pivotal Battle of Morgarten (1315), which started due to a long-simmering feud between Schwyz and Einsiedeln Abbey . In 2011, the UNESCO declared Alpine transhumance in the Bregenz Forest as intangible cultural heritage. In the valleys along the edge of the Alps, cattle production with associated transhumance was generally the rule. However, in the inner alpine valleys

245-584: Is very frequently climbed using various routes and the Alpspitze summit, too, is a popular destination that can be reached on several different routes. The ridge of Jubiläumsgrat is a high alpine climbing route that links these two summits. The climbing along the Blassenkamm ridge over the tops of the Innere, Mittlere and Äußere Höllentalspitze has sections that are classified as UIAA grade III-. The region around

280-587: The Alp and responsible for the cheese production is known as the Senn . The Käsestraße Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest cheese trail) in Vorarlberg is an association of farmers which aims at contributing to the maintenance of small scale agriculture and the diversity of local products in the Bregenz Forest . Members of the association include dairymen who will inform tourists about artisan cheese production. Some people spent

315-702: The Austrian Tourist Club ) offer food, refuge and accommodation for mountaineers and hikers. The Munich Branch of the German Alpine Club has rented the Waxenstein Hut (also Alpl Hut or Aiple Hut) since 1920 and operates it as self-catered accommodation. In the Oberreintalkar lies the Oberreintal Hut , which is the meeting point for Wetterstein climbers (a self-catering hut although drinks are sold by

350-651: The Northern Limestone Alps . The transhumance system in the Alps has remained virtually unchanged since at least the High Middle Ages , with a document referring to a summer pasture from 1204. Along the edge of the Alps, starting around 1300 in west and central Switzerland and a little later in eastern Switzerland, cattle production became the primary agricultural activity. A number of specialized cattle markets grew up in Arona , Bellinzona , Como and Varese in

385-634: The Oberreintal Hut and the south side of the Schüsselkarspitze and Scharnitzspitze are well known for alpine climbing routes of all levels up the solid, limestone slabs. The south side above the Gaistal is markedly quieter than the north side. For climbers, the mountains north of Leutasch are very interesting, especially the Oberreintal-Schrofen, the Scharnitzspitze and the Schüsselkarspitze. On

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420-552: The Zugspitzplatt below the Wetterwandeck was named after the mountain. There is also a piste at the southern foot of the mountain known as the Ehrwalder Almbahnen . Wetterstein mountains The Wetterstein mountains are an ideal region for mountaineers and climbers . Mountain walkers sometimes need to allow for significant differences in elevation. The proximity of the range to the south German centres of population,

455-609: The Alpine pastures, either helpful or causing mischief; in particular, this is to punish the cruelty or discourtesy of a bad Senn . In many cases, the stories tell about curses on specific Alps , appearances of the devil or spirits of earlier Sennen , etc. In 1997, Austria had over 12,000 sites where 70,000 farmers took care of about 500,000 cattle. Alpine pastures amount to a quarter of the farmland. Bavaria had 1,384 sites hosting 48,000 cattle, about half of them in Upper Bavaria and

490-954: The Drahnbach stream to Seestadeln. To the south the boundary extends from Ehrwald along the Gaisbach stream and over the Ehrwalder Alm to the Gaistal valley ( Leutascher Ache ) and continues via Leutasch -Oberweidach and past the Simmelberg to the north to the Drahnbach. The saddle between the Kankerbach and the Kranzbach (the Loisach – Isar watershed) links the Wetterstein with the Bavarian Prealps. The saddle near

525-475: The Ehrwalder Alm is the link between the Wetterstein and Mieming Chain. SOIUSA officially divides the Wettersteingebirge into two groups and eight subgroups: The Alpine Club Guide divides the range based on access: The 10 highest summits of the Wetterstein are: There are over 150 named summits in the Wetterstein with spot heights . Amongst the best known are (in order of height): The Zugspitze

560-761: The Ehrwalder Almbahn. Those not interested in a climbing tour or multi-day summit tour, can hike the Partnach Gorge , the Leutasch Gorge or the Höllental Gorge in a day. For many years there were discussions about a project to build a railway tunnel between the Tyrolean village of Telfs and the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen . The tunnel would have had a total length of 22 kilometres and would have enabled

595-690: The Hoher Saddle to Leutasch-Ahrn both variations are combined. In Ahrn the long-distance path forks into a high alpine and an easier variant. The high alpine variant runs via the Meiler Hut into the Reintal valley and continues to the summit of the Zugspitze. From there it descends to Ehrwald. The easier variant runs through the Leutascher Achental valley via the Ehrwalder Alm and also ends at Ehrwald. There are

630-685: The Mieming range are classed as a single group. The River Loisach forms the boundary of the range to the west and north, from the Ehrwald Basin to Garmisch-Partenkirchen . To the northeast the boundary runs from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Mittenwald along the Kankerbach and Kranzbach streams and the Isar river. To the east the Isar forms the boundary from Mittenwald to Scharnitz . South of Scharnitz it continues along

665-821: The Wetterstein mountains with overnight accommodation: the Münchner Haus (2,962 m), the Meiler Hut (2,366 m), the Knorr Hut (2,052 m), the Kreuzeckhaus (also: Adolf Zoeppritz Haus, 1,652 m), the Höllentalanger Hut (1,379 m) and the Reintalanger Hut (1,366 m). In addition, are the privately run Schachenhaus (1,866 m) and the Wiener Neustädter Hut (2,209 m, maintained by

700-401: The cattle and then rent the beasts out to small farmers or to herders for the summer. The smaller alpine communities generally did not want "foreign" cattle pastured in their alpine pastures, which led to conflicts between the alpine farming communities and the neighboring cities and monasteries. Conflicts over grazing rights and ownership of the alpine meadows led to several wars within what

735-435: The climate was drier which allowed farming even at higher elevations. These areas tended to be mixed between farming and animal husbandry, with the animals being kept mainly for fertilizer and plowing rather than food. However, in both regions the yearly movement was generally similar. Throughout the year, most of the population of the village remained on the valley floor and farmed the surrounding land for grains and hay. In

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770-706: The following Klettersteigs (sometimes abbreviated Steig ) in the Wetterstein: Several large cable cars and lifts link to the summit regions and high skiing areas: The Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (a metre gauge rack railway from Garmisch to the Zugspitzplatt), the Eibsee Cable Car (from the Eibsee to the Zugspitzplatt), the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car (from Ehrwald to the Zugspitzplatt) and

805-658: The inhabitants of the Alps had practised transhumance for thousands of years, during the Late Middle Ages it became increasingly important as the population decreased following the Black Death and the wars of this era. Cattle production was much less manpower-intensive than farming, which was ideal with the reduced population. However, cattle production is much more capital- and especially land-intensive. Cattle production became an investment opportunity for monasteries and citizens of nearby cities. The investors would purchase

840-450: The journey time of trunk services between Munich Central Station and Innsbruck Central Station to be cut to 90 minutes. The project was assessed in 2013 to cost €2.2 billion to build. A tunnel through the Wetterstein would save trains one hour in travelling between Munich and Landeck or Vorarlberg and relieve both the line from Munich via Rosenheim to Innsbruck and the route from Munich to Lindau. By bypassing Garmisch and moving

875-479: The middle pastures with the pigs. In the regions where breeding dominated, the farms were relatively large and isolated from each other. Where both breeding and farming were mixed, the plots were generally smaller and common fields were shared between the community. During the Middle Ages many fields were converted into meadows, because of the prevalence of the breeding. In the north the fields were rotated without

910-520: The name of the Alps (German Alpen ) itself, probably a pre-Roman (and possibly pre-Indo-European ) term for "mountain". In French, the corresponding word for "alpine pasture" is alpage . Evidence survives of a transhumance economy in the Alps dating to the later Neolithic period (c. 3000 BC), with evidence for pastures above the treeline reported for the Bronze Age (17th to 11th centuries BCE) in

945-598: The other half in the Allgäu . In Switzerland , about 380,000 cattle including 130,000 milk cows as well as 200,000 sheep are in summer on high pastures. Milk from cows here is usually made into local cheese specialities, handmade using traditional methods and tools. Alpine pastures amount to 35 percent of Swiss farmland and 13 percent of the entire country. The total population of mountain farmers has decreased to about 43,000 (in 1980) from 160,000 (in 1910). The farmers that are involved in mountain farming only make up about 15% of

980-649: The proprietor). In winter the Stuiben Hut is used as a self-catering hut for ski tourers and snowshoe trekkers. In addition there are several privately owned huts in the Wetterstein mountains. Of these, the Kreuzjochhaus stands out because of its idyllic setting, which offers one of the best panoramas in the Bavarian Alps in the summer and is located in the middle of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski region in

1015-612: The scenic landscape and its good network of cable cars and lifts mean that the mountains are heavily frequented by tourists for most of the year. There are, however, places in the Wetterstein that are rarely or never visited by people. The Wetterstein borders on the following other mountain ranges of the Alps: In the AVE , the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps , the Wetterstein and

1050-426: The south and Villeneuve in the west. In these communities on the edge of the Alps, transhumance included both the vertical movement of cattle to the alpine pastures as well as horizontal movement to the cattle markets. In the communities located in the central Alps, the herds were more diverse. Generally there were large herds of sheep with much smaller cattle herds and other animals such as pigs and goats. While

1085-622: The south faces of these three border mountains are alpine climbing routes aplenty. In recent years several alpine classics were renovated by Heinz Zak. This has attracted ever more climbers to the region. The combination of alms and rugged rocky terrain is not only unique in the German Alpine region, but also offers habitats for several species of animal, such as chamois , Alpine marmots , Alpine choughs , Alpine salamanders , adders , golden eagles and many species of marten . The German Alpine Club maintains six managed Alpine Club huts in

Wetterwandeck - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-450: The south portal of the tunnel east of Telfs-Sagl, the tunnel would be just under 25 kilometres in length. Alpine pasture Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps , that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer ( German Alpwirtschaft, Almwirtschaft from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", Alp, Alm ). Transhumance

1155-479: The spring the herdsmen took the animals up to the middle pastures on the mountain slopes. In the summer, pigs were left in the middle pastures while the rest of the animals were moved to the high alpine pasture. At the end of September the animals were moved back to the lower pastures and cattle were stabled in the following month. Sheep and goats were stabled in December, unless the winter was mild, then they remained at

1190-511: The winter. The Via Alpina , a cross-border long-distance path with five stages through the whole of the Alps, also runs through the Wetterstein. The Red Way of the Via Alpina ( Rote Weg der Via Alpina ) runs through the Wetterstein in three stages: Stage 15 of the North Alpine long-distance path 01 (Limestone Alp Way) runs through the Wetterstein in two route variations. From Scharnitz over

1225-426: The winters isolated in the high pastures. In Johanna Spyri 's novel Heidi , the " Alp-Öhi "" ("high-pasture grandfather") is such a person, despising and despised by the villagers. Transhumance contributes a great deal to traditional Alpine culture, such as Yodel , Alphorn or Schwingen . Swiss folklore also records many traditional tales about mythological creatures such as dwarves (Barbegazi, etc.) inhabiting

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