The Gesaeuse - in the kingdom of
water, woodland and rock
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The landscape of the Gesaeuse National Park
is, above all, characterised by the three elements
water, woodland and rock.
The element of water is most formidably represented
down in the valleys by the thunderous roar of
the Enns. In terms of the surface area of the
National Park that it covers, water's share
is only less than 1%. However, the traces that
water has left on the landscape over the course
of thousands of years can be seen everywhere.
The Enns has cut a steep V-shaped valley, over
1,700 metres deep, and its widely variable character
is attributable to the different rock types.
In the area of the Gesaeuse entrance, between
Himbeerstein and Haindlmauer, and again in the
area above Hieflau, the course of the Enns descends
at a particularly steep gradient. Here it shows
off its impressive power to sculpt and shape
the rocks as it roars and foams over highly
polished boulders.
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| The "Enns Pyramid"
when the water is high |
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The 'Gesaeuse', takes its name from the old
word 'Gseis', referring to the 'roaring and
foaming' of the Enns in the narrow gorge between
the towering mountain faces of the Hochtor and
Buchstein massifs.
With a square-metreage of about 50% of the
total area, woodland is a definitive habitat
and landscape of the National Park. Partly because
of their inaccessible geographical location,
the composition of the forest stands in the
Gesaeuse is either highly natural or at least
near-natural.
In the woodlands there exist dozens of different
kinds of societal groupings, starting with the
lowland woods on the banks of the Enns, going
up through the dominant mixed woodland, consisting
of spruces, firs and beeches, and rising to
larch and stone pine woods at the timberline.
In autumn they convert the landscape so that
it is clothed in a dappled spectrum of colours.
Close to the timberline we encounter a large
number of alpine pastures. They too make their
contribution to increasing the diversity of
species of flora and fauna. And they are particularly
spellbinding because their park-like landscapes
are so very rich in variety.
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| Natural regeneration
of woodland |
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| The Koelbl alpine
pasture |
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As the crowning element above the water and
woodlands of the Gesaeuse National Park, powerful
and precipitous peaks of radiant Dachstein limestone
tower over their base of dolomite. The range
of rock faces on the northern side of the Hochtor
Group are up to 800 m high and, for generations,
have been well known to mountaineers and climbers
as a source of breath-taking mountain adventure.
Beside the famous climbs, such as the north
face of the Hochtor, the Dachl, the Peternschartenkopf,
and the Planspitz, there are numerous other
rock faces in the National Park that have never
been of interest to climbers, owing to the quality
of the rock. For this reason they remain practically
untouched. - Nature without any human interference.
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| The Oedsteinkar with
its famous Oedsteinkante |
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