Großvenediger, Alpine summit in Hohe Tauern range, Austria

Großvenediger is the highest summit of the Venediger Group in the Hohe Tauern, reaching 3,657 m on the border between East Tyrol and Salzburg. It lies directly on the Alpine main ridge and is heavily glaciated on all sides, with the Schlatenkees and Obersulzbachkees separated by four marked ridges. The photograph shows the broad snow dome narrowing to the top, with dark rock streaking through parallel gullies below and a rocky cliff rising in front of the lower slope.

The first ascent on 3 September 1841 was led by Josef Schwab, known as Hausstetter Sepp, not a forester. The party of 40, including Ignaz von Kürsinger and the 70-year-old Paul Rohregger, started from Neukirchen am Großvenediger and reached the summit via the Obersulzbachtal and Stierlahnerwand; 24 or 26 men reached the top. An earlier attempt in 1828 with Archduke John failed in an avalanche.

The name Großvenediger was first recorded in a 1797 border survey; until then the mountain was called Stützerkopf. It probably derives from Venetian merchants crossing the passes, not from a view of Venice, which is 200 km away and not visible. Ignaz von Kürsinger, a member of the 1841 first-ascent party, coined the epithet 'weltalte Majestät' (world-old majesty).

The eastern ascent from the Matreier Tauernhaus via Innergschlöß and the Neuen Prager Hütte (2796 m) takes about 8 hours and 2200 vertical metres, with a descent of roughly 4 hours without breaks. The southern route from the Defreggerhaus is the most popular and considered the easiest. All routes cross crevassed glacier terrain, so rope and early starts are advised.

The name does not actually reference Venice as local folklore suggests, since the city cannot be seen from the summit despite centuries of assumptions. This misconception has become part of the mountain's enduring cultural story.