The Grossglockner is the highest mountain in the Austrian Alps and is surrounded by three- thousand metre high peaks.

According to legend, a certain Commander Briccius had an accident in this region while carrying a relic that contained the blood of Christ. In 1491, the sanctuary of Santa Vincence was consecrated, a gem of Gothic architecture.

When the Austrian Emperor and Empress first visited, there were no roads and the main route across the Alps was altogether different. The Pasterze Glacier once reached to the Glockner and today, far down below, is the Margaritzen Reservoir. In 1932, the Glacier Road was built up to the summit where, in1856, to reach it the Imperial couple had to climb.

The Pasterze is the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps and is around nine kilometres long and with ice up to three hundred metres thick. Since 1856, its surface area has been reduced by almost half but its dimensions continue to be impressive.

Amidst unspoiled nature, cows graze from early in the morning until late in the evening and enjoy the nourishing mountain meadows.

At Salzburg’s toll station, almost eight hundred metres above sea level in Fusch Valley, is the Ferleiten Wildlife Park, a paradise for animal lovers and which features the region’s indigenous wildlife in spacious open-air enclosures.

With its wildlife, natural beauty and breath-taking views, the Grossglockner in the Hohe Tauern National Park is well worth a visit!