The Geopark Karawanken/Karavanke is located in the Karawanks mountain range in Austria and in Slovenia and comprises an area of 1067 km2. The crossborder geopark has numerous geological and other natural sights and became a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in 2013. [1]
On both sides of the border there are in total 14 participating municipalities, namely Bad Eisenkappel, Bleiburg, Črna na Koroškem, Dravograd, Feistritz ob Bleiburg, Gallizien, Globasnitz, Lavamünd, Mežica, Neuhaus, Prevalje, Ravne na Koroškem, Sittersdorf and Zell.
The highest mountain peaks in the geopark are Obir, Petzen and Koschuta. The special geological situation with exceptionally deep valleys results from the contact of several tectonic plates at the Periadriatic Seam. [2]
The area has a rich lead, zinc, iron and coal mining tradition. During the construction of a tunnel, the Obir dripstone caves were discovered. Trögern creek makes its way through an impressive gorge near Bad Eisenkappel.
The mineral wulfenite can be found in the former mine in Mežica that is now used for touristic purposes. In Bad Eisenkappel and in Mežica geopark informations centers have been set up.
The geopark is an ecotouristic project with an additional aspect of international understanding. The idea goes back to botanist and conservationist Angela Piskernik, who intended to create a transboundary nature park in this region already in the 1960s. [3]
Carinthia, also Slovene Carinthia or Slovenian Carinthia, is a traditional region in northern Slovenia. The term refers to the small southeasternmost area of the former Duchy of Carinthia, which after World War I was allocated to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs according to the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain. It has no distinct centre, but a local centre in each of the three central river valleys among the heavily forested mountains.
The Meža (Slovene) or Mieß is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is 43 kilometers (27 mi) long, of which 42 kilometers (26 mi) are in Slovenia. Its catchment area is 551.7 square kilometers (213.0 sq mi), of which 543 square kilometers (210 sq mi) in Slovenia.
The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of 120 kilometres (75 mi) in an east–west direction, the Karawanks chain is one of the longest ranges in Europe. It is traversed by important trade routes and has a great tourist significance. Geographically and geologically, it is divided into the higher Western Karawanks and the lower-lying Eastern Karawanks. It is traversed by the Periadriatic Seam, separating the Apulian tectonic plate from the Eurasian Plate.
Bleiburg is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia (Koroška), south-east of Klagenfurt, in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres from the border with Slovenia.
Črna na Koroškem is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Črna na Koroškem. It lies in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia, close to the border with Austria. Since 2005 it has been part of the larger Carinthia Statistical Region.
Ravne na Koroškem is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Ravne na Koroškem, and the largest town and the capital of Slovenia's Carinthia region. The town has a long tradition in the steel industry.
The Battle of Poljana was a battle of World War II in Yugoslavia. It started at Poljana, near the village of Prevalje in Yugoslavia, and was the culmination of a series of engagements between the Yugoslav Army and a large retreating Axis column, numbering in excess of 30,000 men. The column consisted of units of the German (Wehrmacht), the Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia, the Montenegrin People's Army, and Slovene Home Guard forces, as well as other fascist collaborationist factions and even civilians who were attempting to escape into British-controlled Austria. It took place after Nazi Germany officially surrendered on May 8.
Papuk is the largest mountain in the Slavonia region in eastern Croatia, near the city of Požega. It extends between Bilogora to the northwest, Krndija to the east, and Ravna gora and Psunj to the southwest.
Bad Eisenkappel, also known as Eisenkappel, is a municipality located in the Vellach Valley in the Karawanken mountain range with the nearby peaks: Obir, Peca, and Olševa. It is the population center of the market township of Eisenkappel-Vellach of the Völkermarkt district in the State of Carinthia, Austria near the border of Slovenia.
Eisenkappel-Vellach is a market town in the Völkermarkt District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The spa town is the southernmost municipality of Austria, close to the border with Slovenia.
The Karawanks Tunnel is a motorway tunnel crossing the Alpine Karawanks mountain range between Austria and Slovenia, with a total length of 7.864 km, 8.019 km enclosure between the portals. Its construction began in 1986 and it opened on 1 June 1991. It connects the Austrian Karawanken Autobahn (A11) from Villach with the A2 motorway leading to Kranj and Ljubljana in Slovenia, decongesting the historic Loibl/Ljubelj and Wurzen/Korensko sedlo mountain passes.
Petzen (German) or Peca (Slovene) is the highest mountain of the eastern Karawanks, the second-highest mountain of the Northern Karawanks and the most eastern two-thousand-metre mountain of Slovenia. It is a mighty mountain with a characteristic shape of a tableland with rocky peaks protruding from it. The mountain borders the Meža Valley and the Topla Valley to the south and east, and the Jaun Valley to the north, and is separated by the narrow valley of the Bela Creek from Hochobir. Two thirds of the mountain lies in Austria, and one third in Slovenia. The mountain reaches its highest elevation on the mountain crest of the Kordež Head. The border runs across it.
The Karawanks Tunnel is the fourth longest railway tunnel in Austria and the longest in Slovenia with a length of 7,976 metres (26,168 ft). It passes under Rožca Saddle between Rosenbach in southern Austria and Jesenice in northern Slovenia.
The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geoparks for the protection of geological heritage and the promotion of sustainable development of their territories in Europe. In 2020 January, the EGN had 75 institutional members from 26 European countries and there are several aspiring geopark projects, applying for a UNESCO label and therefore the permanent EGN membership.
The Carinthia Statistical Region is a statistical region in northern Slovenia along the border with Austria.
The Madonie Regional Natural Park is an Italian regional park located in Sicily, between Palermo and Cefalù and covers 39,972 acres.
The Carinthian–Slovenian Alps are a mountain range in the eastern part of the Alps. They are located in Slovenia, Austria and, for a very small area in westernmost part of the range, in Italy.
The Municipality of Črna na Koroškem is a municipality in northern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Črna na Koroškem. It lies in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia, close to the border with Austria. Since 2005 it has been part of the larger Carinthia Statistical Region.