Mountain peaks - one of the most interesting geological phenomena, which is popular among climbers. The European mainland with its elevations, of course, cannot compete with the Himalayan mountain ranges, but still among them there are those that deserve attention.
The attention of the curious are presented highest mountains in Europe.
10. Bazarduzu or Kichensuv | Height 4 466 m
Bazarduzu or Kichensuv (Azerbaijan) opens the list of the highest mountain points in Europe. A hill is located on the border of two states - Russia and Azerbaijan. Bazarduzu is the peak of the Dividing Range of the Greater Caucasus. The mountain rises at 4,466 meters above sea level. Translated from the Turkic Bazarduziu means "market square". This name was one of the highest European points in memory of the annual large fairs that took place in the valley during the Middle Ages. It was here that merchants from four parts of the world gathered. The conquest of Bazarduzu took place in 1847. Then the ascent to the peak was made by the Russian climber A. Alexandrov. At the beginning of the 20th century, eight glaciers descended from the top, the largest of them was called Tikhitsar, its length was about 1 kilometer.
9. Matterhorn | Height 4 478 m
Matterhorn (Switzerland / Italy) is one of the highest mountains in Europe, which rises to 4,478 meters above sea level. Its location is the Pennine Alps, between the Swiss resort of Zermatt and the Italian resort of Brey-Cervinia. Until 1865, there were many attempts to conquer the Matterhorn, but all of them were unsuccessful. Only in 1865, a group of climbers led by Edward Wimper managed to make the ascent. During the ascent, four people died during the descent due to broken ropes.
8. Weisshorn | Height 4 506 m
Weisshorn (Switzerland) ranks eighth in the ranking of the highest mountain peaks in Europe. The mountain is located in Switzerland and borders with Italy. The elevation region is the Pennine Alps, which are located in the western part of the Alps. The height of one of the highest European points is 4 506 meters. The peak was first conquered by British climber John Tyndall, along with guides Johann Joseph Bennen and Ulrich Wenger in 1861. Translated from English, Weisshorn means “white peak”. All mountain climbing routes are considered difficult.
7. Liskamm | Height 4,538 m
Liskamm - a mountain hill, which is located on the border of Switzerland and Italy. It is part of the Western Alps. Liskamm is one of the ten highest mountains in Europe. It consists of two peaks, one of which rises to 4,538 meters above sea level. The mountain received the nickname “lodoid” among climbers because of the numerous descending snow avalanches and blocks that hang from the ridge. People first climbed the mountain in 1861. It was then that Liskamm managed to conquer for the first time an expedition of fourteen people, which included 8 British climbers and 6 Swiss guides.
6. House | Height 4,545 m
One of the highest mountains in Europe is called House (Switzerland). The location of this peak is the Pennine Alps. The house is an integral part of the Michebel massif. Translated from German, the name of the peak means “cathedral” or “dome”. It was named after Canon Burchtold of Sion Cathedral, and it was this man who began to study the local surroundings. The former name of the peak was Mischabel, which means “villas” in Russian. So the hill was called due to the fact that the vertices of the array are very close to each other. For the first time, the Briton J. L. Davis and his guides J. Zumtaugwald, J. Kroenig and H. Branchen entered the House in 1858.
5. Peak Dufour | Height 4 634 m
Peak Dufour (Switzerland / Italy) ranks fifth among the highest mountain points in Europe. It is part of the Monte Rosa massif, which is part of the Pennine Alps. The conquest of the peak took place in 1855 by a team of English and Swiss climbers. Its name was given to the hill in honor of the Swiss engineer and topographer Guillaume-Henri Dufour, who is the creator of a detailed topographic map of southwestern Switzerland for military purposes. Peak Dufour rises to 4 634 meters above sea level.
4. Mont Blanc | Height 4 810 m
Mont Blanc (Italy / France), located on the border of two states, takes the fourth line in the list of the highest European mountains. One of the highest mountain points is part of the Western Alps. Mont Blanc, which means “white mountain” in Italian, is a crystalline massif 4810 meters high. The conquest of one of the highest points in Europe took place in 1786. The first to climb it were the Savoyard Jacques Balm and the Swiss Michelle Pakkar. Under Mont Blanc is a tunnel that connects Italy and France. The mountain has two popular ski resorts, one of which belongs to France (Chamonix), and the other to Italy (Courmayeur).
3. Shkhara | Height 5,200 m
Shkhara (Georgia) opens the top three of the highest mountains in Europe. It is part of the main Caucasian ridge and rises to 5200 meters above sea level and is the highest point in Georgia. For the first time, Shkhara was conquered by the Swedish team of climbers in 1888. Soviet climbers ascended Shkhara a little later - in 1933. Today it is one of the easiest mountains to climb, so it has considerable popularity among tourists who want to conquer a mountain peak. The Inguri River originates from the mountain glacier of the same name.
2. Dykhtau | Height 5 204 m
Dykhtau (Russia) ranks second in height among European peaks. One of the highest points is part of the Caucasus ranges. Dykhtau is located on the lands of the Kabardino-Balkarian high mountain reserve. It has two peaks - Main and Eastern, which are separated by a saddle. The main peak has a height of 5204 meters, thanks to which Dykhtau takes the second place in the list. The mountain point is popular among climbers: more than a dozen climbing routes have been laid here. The first to climb the summit were Briton Albert Mummery and Swiss Heinrich Zarflou in the late 19th century. Translated into Russian, Dykhtau means “steep mountain”.
1. Elbrus | Height 5 642 m
Elbrus (Russia) tops the list of the highest mountains in Europe. Elbrus is considered part of the Caucasus Mountains and is a vent of an extinct volcano from two peaks connected by a saddle. The western peak rises 5,642 meters above sea level. These indicators give the right to say that Elbrus is the highest European point. This peak was first conquered by British climbers in 1874. The mountain is popular in sports, hiking and climbing. Glaciers of Elbrus are a source of food for the largest rivers of the Caucasus and Stavropol Territory.