Leithagebirge

Leithagebirge Mountains, colloquially called "Leithberge"/Leith Mountains (name derives from River Leitha), foothills of the central Alps in the east, remains of a submerged part of a mountain range which formed the connection between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains. Their south-western core is made of gneiss, the rest is mainly mica schist, surrounded by Leitha Limestone. The wooded mountain crest, about 35 km long and 5 to 7 km large, extends from the Brucker Pforte gap to the Wiener Neustädter Pforte gap, and forms the south-eastern border of the Vienna Basin. The highest peak is the 484 m high Sonnenberg mountain. Beech and oak bush forests, vineyards and fruit orchards on the south-eastern slopes owing to the mild climate (Aesculapian snakes can be found in this area). The Leithagebirge Mountains are not densely populated, have a low traffic volume and their north-eastern and central parts form the border between Lower Austria and Burgenland. The old "Kaisereiche" (Emperor´s oak) close to the Franz-Josef vantage point (443 m) on the Steinerweg is the landmark of the Leithagebirge Mountains. - Quarries, cement factories in Mannersdorf am Leithagebirge, Bruckneudorf military training area in the north.