Do you like hiking or winter sports? Then your heart will beat faster when you see a mountain. Earlier we made a list of the highest mountains in the world. All ten of these can be found in the Himalayan range, in fact, the hundred highest mountains are located there in the neighboring Karakoram range! But Europe also has mountains of serious heights, perhaps not the highest giants above 8,000 meters, but the 5 kilometers are also achieved with us. Check allcountrylist for list of highest mountains in Brazil.
Incidentally, it also applies in Europe that almost all high mountains are located in one area, namely the Caucasus in Russia. Here are the only mountains above 5,000 meters in Europe, including the highest, Elbrus with a height of 5,642 meters.
To keep things interesting, the list is therefore a list of the highest mountains per European country.
FYI: the highest ‘mountain’ (actually a hill) is the Vaalserberg with a height of 322.7 meters above NAP. The hill can be found in South Limburg in the village of Vaals. The top of the mountain is the Drielandenpunt, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany border here.
If we were to look at the highest mountain in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we would end up in Saba. On this Dutch island in the Caribbean is Mount Scenery, a dormant volcano with a height of 887 meters.
10. Greece: Olympus – 2,917 meters
The highest mountain in Greece is located near the coast, just southwest of Thessaloniki. The ‘Olympus’ is already described in Greek mythology. This is how Homer also called this mountain the ‘House of the gods’. Here they would reside in great luxury. Supreme god Zeus ruled there with an iron hand; in case of emergencies he fired lightning bolts down from the ‘Olympus’. Incidentally, the name ‘Olympus’ has also been given to other mountains, whether or not in a derived form. You will find the ‘Mount Olympus’ in the American state of Washington and the ‘Olympus Mons’ on the planet Mars.
9. Bulgaria: Musala – 2,925 meters
The ‘Moesala’ can not only call itself the highest mountain in Bulgaria, but also in the entire Balkan Peninsula. This 2925 meter high mountain is located near Sofia and is part of the Rila Mountains. Near the ‘Moesala’ the rivers ‘Iskar’, the ‘Maritsa’ and the ‘Mesta’ originate. Almost the entire Rila Mountains are part of a national park. The flora and fauna here is overwhelming! You will find many mineral springs here. The hottest of these springs – with a temperature of 102 degrees – is located in ‘Sapareva Banja’. Nice to know is that the name ‘Moesala’ is derived from ‘Mus Allah’, which means ‘the mountain of god’.
8. Andorra: Pic de Comapedrosa – 2,946 meters
Andorra is home to the ‘Pic de Comapedrosa’. Andorra’s location in the eastern Pyrenees means that this principality mainly consists of rugged mountains. Three narrow valleys separate the mountains. Remarkably, those valleys together form the letter ‘Y’. The ‘Pic de Comapedrosa’ is part of the municipal natural park ‘Valls del Comapedrosa’. This protected area is approximately 15.42 km2 in size. The impressive mountain landscape is interspersed with lakes, waterfalls, springs and ponds. This area has an extensive network of hiking trails. The characteristic mountain huts also form a beautiful addition to the landscape.
7. Germany: Zugspitze – 2,963 meters
Our eastern neighbors are in seventh place. In southern Bavaria, on the border between Germany and Austria, lies the 2963 meter high ‘Zugspitze’. The ‘Nördliche Schneeferner’, the largest glacier in Germany, is also located here. No expense is spared to make this ski area as attractive as possible for tourists. For example, tons of snow are pushed from the area to this glacier every year. In summer, part of the ‘Nördliche Schneeferner’ is covered with special foil to preserve the snow and ice mass. Just below the top of the ‘Zugspitze’ is the ‘Münchner Haus’. In 2014, it houses a museum, restaurant and kiosk. The ‘Tiroler Zugspitzbahn’ is the easiest way to reach this location.
6. Spain: Pico del Teide – 3,718 meters
On Tenerife you will find the volcano ‘Pico del Teide’. This is a relatively young volcano, which shows itself with some regularity. ‘Pico del Teide’ is known for its eruptions with dangerous pyroclastic flows. Such a stream is also called an all-destructive cloud. It consists of a mixture of lava, ash, rock and suffocating gases. The volcano ‘Pico del Teide’ and the surrounding area belong to the ‘Parque Nacional del Teide’. In 2007, this 18,900-hectare area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Furthermore, this Spanish volcano is on the list of the ’16 Volcanoes of the decade’. This is a study of volcanoes, which are close to populated areas and have destructive eruptions.
5. Austria: Groβglockner – 3,798 meters
The Austrian topper ‘Groβglockner’ is located on the border between Carinthia and Tyrol. Not only is this the highest mountain in Austria, the ‘Groβglockner’ can also call itself the highest of the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. Together with the ‘Kleinglockner’ this mountain is part of the so-called ‘Glockner group’. Both mountains are known for their characteristic pyramid-like shape. Ski fanatics are probably familiar with the area on the east side of the ‘Groβglockner’. Austria’s largest glacier is located here. Other high mountains in Austria that get the blood flowing faster for winter sports enthusiasts are the ‘Wildspitze’, the ‘Weiβkugel’ and the ‘Groβvenediger’.
4. Switzerland: Dufourspitze – 4,634 meters
The ‘Dufourspitze’ also lies on a border between Switzerland and Italy. This mountain belongs to the ‘Monte Rosa Massif’ in the ‘Valais Alps’. Although the massif is considered a Swiss-Italian mountain range, the top of the ‘Dufourspitze’ is on Swiss territory. Until the mid-1800s, the countries used a different name for the summit. While the Italians affectionately called the summit ‘Höchste Spitze’, in Switzerland people spoke of the ‘Gornerhorn’. Ultimately, the summit is named after Guillaume-Henri Dufour, the cartographer who made the first exact map of Switzerland. Just before that, in 1855 to be precise, the summit was conquered for the first time by a group of mountaineers.
3. Italy: Mont Blanc de Courmayeur – 4,765 meters
The highest point in Italy is formed by the ‘Mont Blanc de Courmayeur’. Just like the ‘Mont Blanc’, which trumps its Italian counterpart in terms of height, the ‘Mont Blanc de Courmayeur’ is also part of the ‘Mont Blanc massif’. At about 1224 meters altitude lies the beautiful mountain town of ‘Courmayeur’. This place is known as an atmospheric, somewhat chic winter sports destination. The area is spectacular; no less than 14 mountain peaks are higher than 4000 meters! Three generations of tourists, including a number of members of international royal houses, have now found their way to ‘Courmayeur’.
2. France: Mont Blanc – 4,810 meters
The ‘Mont Blanc’ is known as the undisputed giant of the ‘Alps’. The summit is on the border between Italy and France. The idea of which country is at the top is still controversial. Although cartographers from France and Switzerland attribute the top to France, in 2006 the chairman of a specially created working group declared that the top belongs to Italy. This has not yet been made official. On August 8, 1786, two residents of Chamonix reached the top of Mont Blanc for the first time. This earned them a prestigious award. Then one last fact; the top of the ‘Mont Blanc’ is getting higher and higher. As a result of climate change, the peak had risen by more than two meters in 2007 compared to measurements from 2003.
1. Russia: Elbrus – 5,642 meters
During classical times, the Russian giant was known as ‘Strobilus’. If we are to believe the Greek myths, Prometheus was attached to these mountains. Anyway, it should be clear that the ‘Elbrous’ has appealed to the imagination for quite some time. This mountain, part of the ‘Greater Caucasus’, can call itself the highest in Europe! The ‘Greater Caucasus’ is a mountain range that stretches over a length of about 1200 kilometers. You can see from the shape that the ‘Elbrous’ belongs to the so-called stratovolcanoes. It is a cone-shaped, extremely steep and high mountain range made up of layers of solidified lava and tephra. In the past 2000 years, the residents around the ‘Elbrous’ have not been startled by an eruption. The immensely high volcano is in hibernation.