The rocky Karawanken range, with numerous separate peaks, continues the line of the Carnic Alps eastward, and since 1919 has formed the frontier between Austria and Yugoslavia. This long ridge extending between the valleys of the Drau (Drava) and Save lacks the rugged conformation of the Carnic Alps, but consists of a series of finely shaped mountains falling steeply away on the northern side. Most of the principal peaks are relatively easy to climb and command magnificent views of the Carinthian lake basin; and there are a number of ridge walks which enable several peaks to be climbed without losing too much height. The highest point in the Karawanken is the Hochstuhl (2,238m/7,343ft), and there are several important routes through the Alps.
A succession of constantly changing views of the whole Karawanken range can be enjoyed from the Karawanken Panoramic Highway (Karawanken- Aussichtsstrasse), which branches off the Klagenfurt-Loibl pass road at Viktring and then proceeds southwestward along the Drau to Velden on the Wörther See.
From Ferlach (446m/1,529ft), on the northern approach to the Loibl pass, a steep and narrow road climbs 15km/9mi southward (toll payable beyond Zell am Pfarre) to a point near the main ridge of the Karawanken, ending at the Koschutahaus (1,279m/41,96ft; inn), with tremendous views of the surrounding limestone peaks and crags.
A popular base for walks and climbs in the Karawanken is Feistritz im Rosental (545m/1,788ft; pop. 3,000), at the mouth of the 6.5km/4mi long Bärental, through which a winding road climbs up to Bärental village (950m/3,117ft) at the head of the valley.
Address: Feistritz im Rosental, A-9181 Feistritz im Rosental, Austria
From the Bärental the Klagenfurter Hütte (1,663m/5,456ft; inn) can be reached in two hours. The highest peak in the Karawanken, the Hochstuhl (Slovenian "Veliki Stol", 2,238m/7,343ft), on the Yugoslavian side, takes another 2.5 hours.
The railroad passes under the Rosenbach saddle in the 8km/5mi long Karawanken Tunnel between Rosenbach and Jesenice in Yugoslavia; a road tunnel crosses the Alpine Karavanke mountain range between Austria and Slovenia.
6km/4mi before the summit tunnel on the Loibl road rises the Kleiner Loibl (759m/2,490ft), with the St Christopher or Magdalene Chapel. A side road goes off to the west by way of Windisch Bleiberg into the beautiful Bodental, inhabited mainly by Slovenes (skiing near Bodenmauer, 1,052m/3,453ft).
The road from Klagenfurt to Ljubljana in Yugoslavia runs beneath the Loibl pass (1,369m/4,492ft) in the Loibl Tunnel, at a height of 1,070m/3,511ft. The top of the Loibl pass is a splendid lookout point; since the tunnel was opened in 1964, however, there is no longer a border crossing at the top.
High above the Drau near Maria Rain (a pilgrimage church with a Late Gothic figure of Our Lady on the high altar) stands Schloss Hollenburg (15th-16th C., Renaissance arcade), a stud farm noted for its Haflinger horses.
A little south of the Kleiner Loibl, near the entrance to the Loibl Tunnel, the road from Klagenfurt to Ljubljana crosses the wild and romantic Tscheppaschlucht (gorge). A five minutes' climb from here leads up to the Tschauko waterfall, with a drop of 30m/100ft.
At the western end of the Karawanken range the Wurzen pass (1,073m/3,521ft) carries the road from the Gailtal into the valley of the Save Dolinka; and at the eastern end the Seeberg saddle (1,218m/3,916ft) links eastern Carinthia with Slovenia.
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Feistritz im Rosental, Austria
