The nature park Weißbach is situated between Loferer, Leoganger and Reiter Steinbergen in the region of Salzburg (A) and is bounded to the nature reserve “Northern Kalkhochalpen” on the Salzburg side and to Bavaria by the national park and, respectively, by the biosphere reserve Berchtesgaden .
In 2011, the XI Alpine Conference nominated this alliance of the protected areas „Berchtesgaden-Salzburg” as a pilot region for the ecological Alpine network. The trans-boundary cooperation between protected areas is an important aspect and is shown in various projects like cross-border hiking events or common design of information points in the border area.
The nature park and its alpine pastures
Next to the natural monument Seisenbergklamm, the significant landscape elements are different types of mountain forest, Alpine pastures and rock heaps.
In this landscape mosaic of the nature park, which was created in 2007, you can find many species, partly protected, of animals and plants as various types of gentian and orchids (yellow gentian as the basis for the traditional Kallbrunner gentian schnapps), different butterfly species (Apollo) or the Golden Eagle.
The Alpine pastures are farmed for more than 600 years and are the fundament of local products and sustainable tourist offers. Characteristic for this region are the agricultural communities of Bavarian farmers and those of the Salzburg area. In cooperation with the nature park, they developed the information point on the Alpine pasture Kallbrunn and guided theme hikes. Furthermore the community offers culinary events as the Alpine pasture cheese Kallbrunn.
Next to the awareness raising measures as the visitors program and a nature workshop, the association of the nature park Weissbach strengths, since 2011, the cooperation with its disseminators. Local and organic farmers, selected by special criteria, support the idea of the Nature Park and use the weekly market day, established in January 2012, as a communication platform between producers and consumers.
Park's identity card
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Name of protected area |
The nature park Weißbach
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Managing enterprise |
Association nature park Weißbach |
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Country |
Austria |
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Area (ha) |
2778 ha |
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Year of creation |
2007 |
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Legal basis |
protected landscape area with the labbeling as nature park, partly in the nature protected area Northern Kalkhochalpen (NATURA 2000) and natural monument Seisenbergklamm |
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Included regions |
Salzburger Saalachtal / Pinzgau / Austria |
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Number of municipalities |
2 |
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Lowest point (m) |
665 m (Weißbach Ort) |
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Highest point (m) |
1953 m (Hochkranz) |
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Population |
main part of the nature park is uninhabited, around 50 inhabitants (without the farmers of the Aline pastures) |
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Forest surface |
2084,7 ha |
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Pasture surface |
310,5 ha |
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Prevailing landscape types |
gorge with ravine forest, mixed mountain forest, mountain meadows, Alpine pastures, Alpine meadowy phytocenoses of grass, small bogs, near-natural flowing waters, rock heaps |
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Emblematic fauna |
would grouse and black grouse, snow grouse, Golden Eagle, various butterfly species as the Apollo butterfly, chamois and red deer |
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Emblematic flora |
species of gentian as purple gentian, species of orchids as vanilla orchids or Lady's Slipper, Turk's Cup Lily, ferns as Hart's-tongue fern, Stone pine, larch tree and fir tree |
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Major touristic attractions |
natural monument Seisenbergklamm, Alpine pasture Kallbrunn, Hirschbichl (border to the Berchtesgaden national park), natural experience way Walden, forest experience path, Alpine pasture experience bus |
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Information center(s) |
1) Informationcentre of the nature park Weißbach with information of the park 2) Alpine pasture Kallbrunn - chees dairy with information of the Alpine dairy and the alliance wwith the Berchtesgaden national park |
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Internet site |
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Number of employees |
1 |
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Access |
The bus 260 is running between the City of Salzburg and Zell/See or Saalfelden (connection also to the train). Via car you should use the federal highway B311. |
