At an altitude of almost 2600 metres, a mountain gradually breaks apart. The meter-sized crack at the top of the Hochvogel is getting bigger and bigger. Experts fear that the summit will soon rush down into the valley.
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It is one of the most famous mountains in the Allgäu Alps - and could soon be history. According to experts, the summit of the Hochvogel will soon collapse, and according to calculations up to 260,000 cubic metres of rock could fall into the valley. The possible scenario hardly triggers fears among local people: According to the authorities, there is no particular threat to the population.
For years a huge crevice at the summit on the border between Bavaria and Tyrol has been getting bigger and bigger, the first rockfalls have already occurred. Researchers are using sensors to monitor the movement of the massif in order to be able to predict the feared large rockfall.
The crack at the summit is currently 40 metres long, 8 metres deep and 3 metres wide. In the Zugspitze area as well as in two other regions in Austria and Italy, mountain regions threatened by drone flights and measurement technology are also being inspected.
10 reasons to visit Germany's Allgäu region
The Allgäu is one of the most popular holiday regions in Germany. It stretches from the Danube to the Alps and its attractions include Neuschwanstein Castle and spectacular untouched landscapes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kästle
Fantastic alpine views
One most distinctive peaks of the Allgäu Alps is the 2,592 meter (8.504 ft.) Hochvogel. It towers at least 200 or even 300 meters above the surrounding hills. From its peak, which can be only reached by a accomplishing a rather demanding mountain ascent, you can see as far as the Swiss Alps and the Black Forest.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/W. G. Allgoewer
Take the leap
Oberstdorf is the place for winter sports in the Allgäu. Oberstdorf every year hosts the first part of the ski jumping Four Hills Tournament on the Schattenberg large hill. A cable car takes winter sports enthusiasts from Oberstdorf up to the Nebelhorn, the Allgäu's highest skiing area.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Reach for the sky
On the 2,224 meter (7,297 ft.) high Nebelhorn you'll find one of the many skiing areas in the Allgäu. It boasts 13 kilometers (8 mi.) of prepared ski runs and if visibility is good you can enjoy a panoramic view of some 400 alpine peaks from the mountain station.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Puchner
Walk the gorge
Breathtaking landscapes are essential to tourism in the Allgäu region. One of the most visited natural sights is the Breitachklamm, a narrow gorge which has a depth of up to 150 meters (492 ft.). As far back as 1905 a 2.5 kilometer (1.9 mi.) walkway was created to lead people safely through the gorge.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/U. Walz
Take refuge in a mountain hut
For hikers the Allgäu region is both a destination and a way station. Many set of from Oberstdorf on a mountain hike that lasts several days and leads over the Alps all the way to Italy. On the E5 European Long Distance Path you spend the night's in mountain huts, like the Kemptener Hütte at an altitude of 1,844 meters (6,050 ft.).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Loesel
Lush mountain pastures
In summer they are very much part of the Allgäu experience: the cultivated mountain pastures. Like the Dietersbach-Alpe in the Trettachtal valley, where hikers can take a break and enjoy a meal. And even if you can't see the cows on the pastures you are sure to hear the faint ring of the bells around their necks.
Image: picture-alliance/chromorange/W. G. Allgoewer
Traditional festival
One of the biggest celebrations in the Allgäu is the annual "Viehscheid", marking the cattle drive from the mountain pastures back to the valley. After some 100 days of summer retreat up on the mountain pastures the cattle are returned to their owners in the valley villages - like in Oberstaufen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. J. Hildenbrand
Mountain pass roads
For those who find hiking too much effort there is always the option to cross the Allgäu region by road. Like on the German Alpine Route, which leads from Lake Constance all the way to the Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria. It takes you over mountain passes like the Oberjochpass or past sights like Neuschwanstein Castle. In 2017 the Alpine Route will celebrate its 90th anniversary.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotoreport/F. Thorbecke
Fairytale castle
Bavarian King Ludwig II, known as the fairytale king, of course loved the Allgäu region. Just above the village of Schwangau he had Neuschwanstein Castle built. He didn't live to see its completion, but his dream of a medieval knights' castle is has become one of the world's most visited tourist attractions.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Wallberg
Final stop on the Romantic Route
One of the main tourist hubs of the Allgäu region is the city of Füssen in the so-called Königswinkel or "King's nook". Only a few kilometers from Neuschwanstein Castle, Füssen's attractions include a medieval fortress called the Hohen Schloss, and a very attractive old town center. This is also where the Romantic Route, Germany's best known holiday theme route, ends.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Koenig
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It is unclear whether the Hochvogel summit will actually come to an end with a great deal of noise. "There have been smaller and larger events for years," says Thomas Figl from the Tyrolean State Geological Survey. It is difficult to assess whether the rockfalls will continue step by step or whether the big bang will come.