Glockenkarkopf
Encyclopedia
The Glockenkarkopf, also known as Klockerkarkopf, is a mountain
of 2911 metres (9,550.5 ft) in the Zillertal Alps
on the border between the Austrian state Salzburg
and the Italian province of South Tyrol
.
in the east. Nearby summits include Tauernkopf (2874 m above mean sea level
) to the west, and to the southwest the higher Pfaffenschneidkopf (2918 m), from which the Pfaffenschneid slopes (strikes
) southward. This slope is crossed by the Lausitz path at the Teufelsstiege (Devil's Stair).
, was mentioned in the journal of the Österreichischer Alpenverein
. The summit was reached for the first time in 1895 by Franz Hofer and Fritz Kögl. On July 16, 1904 the Italian nationalist
, irredentist
, and later fascist
Ettore Tolomei
climbed the mountain, proclaimed himself the first to reach its summit
, asserted that it was the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea
's drainage basin
and thus belonged to Italy, and named it "Vetta d'Italia" ("Peak of Italy"). However, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) defines the northernmost point of Italy as the summit not of Glockenkarkopf, but of nearby Western Zwillingsköpfl (2841 m), which in fact is the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea's drainage basin.
Tolomei's name is used in Italian maps from 1905 onward. The name "Vetta d'Italia" reportedly convinced United States
president Woodrow Wilson
, who was poorly knowledgeable about European geography and history, of the legitimacy of the Brenner
border.
Besides the name "Vetta d'Italia", which is widely rejected by the German-speaking population of South Tyrol, local researchers on the toponymy
of village names argue that "Klockerkarkopf" (not Glockenkarkopf) is the older and correct name, being derived from the "Klockeralm".
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
of 2911 metres (9,550.5 ft) in the Zillertal Alps
Zillertal Alps
The Zillertal Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. The range is named after the Zillertal on its north....
on the border between the Austrian state Salzburg
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
and the Italian province of South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
.
Location
The ridgeline of Glockenkarkopf forms the international border extending between two mountain passes, Krimmler Tauern in the west and Forcella del Picco/BirnlückeBirnlücke
The Birnlücke is the border pass at the western end of the Hohe Tauern mountains in Austria, between the Venediger Group and the adjoining Zillertal Alps. The border between Austria and Italy has run over the pass since 1919...
in the east. Nearby summits include Tauernkopf (2874 m above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
) to the west, and to the southwest the higher Pfaffenschneidkopf (2918 m), from which the Pfaffenschneid slopes (strikes
Strike and dip
Strike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a geologic feature. The strike line of a bed, fault, or other planar feature is a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane. On a geologic map, this is represented with a short straight line segment oriented...
) southward. This slope is crossed by the Lausitz path at the Teufelsstiege (Devil's Stair).
Political history and toponymy
In 1896 the mountain, then belonging to Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, was mentioned in the journal of the Österreichischer Alpenverein
Österreichischer Alpenverein
The Austrian Alpine Club has 377,000 members in 197 branches and is the largest mountaineering club in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 242 alpine huts in Austria and neighbouring countries...
. The summit was reached for the first time in 1895 by Franz Hofer and Fritz Kögl. On July 16, 1904 the Italian nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, irredentist
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
, and later fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
Ettore Tolomei
Ettore Tolomei
Ettore Tolomei was an Italian nationalist and fascist. He was designated a Member of the Italian Senate in 1923, and ennobled in 1937.- Pre-World War I activism :...
climbed the mountain, proclaimed himself the first to reach its summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
, asserted that it was the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
's drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
and thus belonged to Italy, and named it "Vetta d'Italia" ("Peak of Italy"). However, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) defines the northernmost point of Italy as the summit not of Glockenkarkopf, but of nearby Western Zwillingsköpfl (2841 m), which in fact is the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea's drainage basin.
Tolomei's name is used in Italian maps from 1905 onward. The name "Vetta d'Italia" reportedly convinced United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
president Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, who was poorly knowledgeable about European geography and history, of the legitimacy of the Brenner
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
border.
Besides the name "Vetta d'Italia", which is widely rejected by the German-speaking population of South Tyrol, local researchers on the toponymy
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
of village names argue that "Klockerkarkopf" (not Glockenkarkopf) is the older and correct name, being derived from the "Klockeralm".