Kalkalpen National Park

The national park is an Austrian Limestone Alps National Park. It was founded in 1997 and comprises Sengsengebirge and the Reichraminger Hintergebirge in the Upper Austrian Alps.

Structure

The headquarters of the National Park Society is in Molln, but are also located in Reichraming and Windischgarsten visitor centers that provide information materials, events and exhibitions. Other surrounding places are: Roßleithen, Rosenau am Hengstpaß, Weyer, Großraming and St. Pancras.

The National Park covers an area of ​​20 856 hectares. Of these, 89 % are designated as a nature zone, eleven percent are conservation zone. 88 % of the area is owned by the Austrian Federal Forests, eleven percent privately owned and one percent of municipal-owned.

History

Even in the Stone Age people lived in the National Park region. This is demonstrated in Levallois Mousterian stone tools made ​​of this time ( 65000-30000 BC), which were found in the Rameschhöhle. In this cave were also found evidence of cave bears, cave lions, wolves, and mountain goats. A further seven stone artefacts of Stone Age hunters from the period 18000-10000 BC were found in Nixloch (municipality loose stone).

In the municipality of Windischgarsten several hatchets and a lance tip from the period have been found around 1000 BC. They point to a settlement and inspection of passports.

In this part of Upper Austria, on the borders of Lower Austria and Styria, was preserved after the decline of the iron industry, a largely intact natural and cultural landscape. In 1976, the nature reserve Sengsengebirge was built.

Active people ( based group ARGE ) and the Wildlife Protection Society ÖNB engaged from the 1980s, both against the project of the steel group VÖEST to set up a firing range for tanks in uninhabited Hintergebirge, as well as against the subsequent plans Ennskraftwerke AG, in the background mountains to set up two reservoirs. After " occupations " of the background mountains ( cf. Hainburger Au) by power plant opponents - took the power plant intrested April 1985 of his plan distance.

As early as 1983, there were tentative plans for a national park in Reichraminger Hintergebirge. In 1990, plans for the Limestone Alps National Park. The National Park Act was passed in 1996 in the Upper Austrian Landtag. On 21 July 1997, the National Park by Regulation was initially set up on an area of ​​16,509 hectares, the Limestone Alps National Park was finally opened on 25 July 1997. The international recognition of the Limestone Alps National Park by the IUCN protected area category II took place in the same year.

2001, the National Park was expanded to 18,400 hectares. 2003 was a further expansion to 20 856 hectares.

Since 2004, the National Park and Ramsar and Natura 2000 site ( Europe reserve both under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive).

In 2009, a further amendment was made in surface adaptation to the Commission of the EC by 12 December 2008.

By 2013, a dispute over the planned construction of the first wind power plants in the region around the National Park offing. The Energie AG is still in September 2013 her two in Steyr and planned in the Enns valley wind power projects because measurements had shown that the amount of wind in the fields Sonnkogel Snow Mountain and riding mountain middle stretch enough was not for the economy.

Geography and Geology

The highest peak is 1963 meters with the Nock.

The terrain is wooded four-fifths, it is dominated by a mixed forest of spruce, fir and beech.

In the national park you will find over 200 km of unspoilt creeks and 800 sources.

The main rock types in the National Park are Wettersteinkalk and main dolomite.

In the area of the Limestone Alps National Park about 70 caves have been discovered so far. The largest cave system in the National Park is the Klara cave, which was discovered in 2004. The deepest cave is the Krestenbergschacht, the 412 m deep drops from his introduction to 1165m above sea level. There are also ice caves in the park, they are only experienced cavers accessible. In Sengsengebirge is the " Ice Chapel ". This cave consists essentially of a 60 m long, 30 m wide and about six feet high hall. In some years, holds in the middle of the room until well into the autumn, a pillar of ice. Earlier this cave was called "Devil's Chapel " by the locals.

Animal and plant life

The park is home to around 30 species of mammal, 80 breeding bird and 1,500 species of butterfly. The flora includes over 1000 different species of flowering plants, ferns and mosses.

An endangered species of mammals otter, dormouse and many species of bats are found in the National Park. From brown bear, lynx and beaver, there are individual documents.

The park is a habitat for many species of birds that are in Austria on the red list, and include: capercaillie, Eurasian Hobby, Black Grouse, Whinchat, kingfisher, gray heron, hawk, hazel grouse, dove, serpent eagle, black stork, golden eagles, hawks, owls, woodcock, peregrine falcon, Dipper, White-backed Woodpecker, Buzzard, meadow Pipit, nightjar and Red-breasted Flycatcher.

Among the endangered reptiles in the park include: Aesculapian, mountain lizard, slow-worm, grass snake / smooth snake, adder, grass snake and the sand lizard.

102 Of the over 850 documented species of plants in the park are on the Red List of Threatened Plants of Upper Austria.

Use

The National Park area is under special protection and is well served by footpaths. The surrounding communities use the area exclusively for ecotourism.

Within the conservation area there are 20 huts, a few of which are cultivated.

The plan of Energie AG to build around on mountains Wind power plants occurs in 2013, a novel use conflict. Citizens engage in a platform " for free horizons in the National Park Region Steyr and Enns Valley ".