Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a land area of 83,879 square kilometers (20.7 million acres). There are also around 8.8 million people living in the country. It was the birthplace of the infamous Adolf Hitler and was annexed to Nazi Germany until the regime fell, and Austria became a sovereign country again.
Austria also provided the beautiful backdrop for the iconic movie “Sound of Music”, which is also set in Austria, specifically in Salzburg, an Austrian city that borders Germany. But tourists shouldn’t bring this up when they are visiting the country because Austrians didn’t like their portrayal in the film and there were also several historical inaccuracies. The majority of Austrians, especially the current generation, also don’t know what “Sound of Music” is.
Many people don’t know that croissants originated in Austria and not France. Variations of the flaky pastry are also popular desserts that tourists should try in Austria like the apple strudel, Linzer cake, and Sacher cake. Austria’s pancakes called Palatschinken are also divine.
With its location within the Alps, Austria is mostly a mountainous country. Only 25% of the entire country is considered low lying. This is why the country is also a popular skiing destination. For those who hate the icy slopes, they can head on to the spas, which are also popular in ski resorts. Another favorite pastime in Austria is swimming in the lakes with the mountains as a backdrop.
Austria is teeming with gorgeous natural attractions, so tourists should drop by its national parks. Here are five of the generally unexplored protected landscapes:
1. Danube-Auen National Park
The area is considered the largest remaining floodplains in Middle Europe. This park aims to protect the vast lowland forests within its territory. There are also meadows and wetlands in this protected natural resource traversing Vienna and Lower Austria. The park is also meant to protect the Danube River, which was experiencing some natural issues because of developments in nearby areas. Environmentalists cried foul when the forests were being cleared sometime in 1984, to give way to a hydroelectric power plant development. The plant’s development was canceled in 1986, but it wasn’t until 1996 that the area became a national park.
The park is home to some 700 species of plants and various animals. The wetlands, which were the target of the power plant, are now home to Danube-crested newts, Eurasian beavers, Eurasian kingfishers, European pond turtles, and European mud minnows. The meadows in the park are peppered with early spider-orchids, green-winged orchids, and military orchids.
2. Gesäuse National Park
This is Austria’s youngest park. Established in 2002, it is located in the state of Styria. It is within the Upper Styrian region. A large chunk of the protected area is also within the Ennstal Alps. One interesting attraction of the park is the water gap created by the Enns River between the Admont and the Hieflau. The former is a historically significant town known for the Admont Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, which is significant for housing the largest monastic library in the world. The view of this town from Gesäuse is just stunning. The Hieflau, meanwhile, is a settlement in the town of Landl. The park’s highest peak is the Hochtor, which stands at 2,369 meters.
3. High Tauern National Park
High Tauern is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps. About 100 kilometers within this mountain range is the national park, which traverses the states of Carinthia, Salzburg, and Tyrol. The park was established in 1981, making it Austria’s first national park. It is also the country’s largest at 1,834 square kilometers (453,191 square kilometers). Among the marvelous structures in the park are the Groβglockner and Groβvenediger massifs.
The park is also home to the Pasterze, which is the longest glacier in Austria at 8.4 kilometers. There is also the Krimml Waterfalls, which is also Austria’s tallest waterfall at 380 meters. It falls on the Krimmler Ache River. There are also vast ice valleys and alluvial fans.
Among the park’s flora are alpenrose, Swiss pine, and the endemic saxifrages. In terms of fauna, the most common residents are Alpine ibex, chamois, and red deer. The skies also have a smattering of golden eagle and griffon vulture.
4. Kalkalpen National Park
Situated within the state of Upper Austria, this park is part of the Northern Limestone Alps, a stretch of mountain ranges comprising Eastern Alps and the Central Eastern Alps that reach adjacent Germany. Kalkalpen is significant as it contains the largest forested area in Central Europe, while also housing the largest karst segment in Austria. It was established in 1997.
To appreciate the panoramic vista of the park, management provided a view tower near Windischgarsten called Wurbauerkogel. There is a hiking path that will lead to this viewing deck or tourists can take the chair lift, which is an experience on its own. Around 21 peaks that are over 2,000 meters tall can be seen from the Wurbauerkogel. The park is also a favorite venue for some active viewing of the sceneries like hiking, biking, and horseback riding. There are marked paths for any of the activities. The park becomes a winter wonderland during cold months and the mountains become snowshoeing and skiing destinations.
5. Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park
This park is located in eastern Austria and protects a segment of the westernmost lake of the European Steppe, a vast European grassland that stretches over nine countries. Austria doesn’t have a part in the large grassland, just the part of Lake Neusiedl. The park is on the eastern edge of the Alps. There was a need to protect the area as it was established that it is where various species of plants coexist. The different flora varieties allowed the existence of different ecosystems like meadows, salt areas, sand steppes, and wetlands.
Lake Neusiedl has an abundance of reeds, which make the body of water popular among migratory birds. During winter, the reeds are harvested when the lake turns to ice. The lake was also established as a Ramsar Wetland in 1982.