The peak is located in the central section of the main Tauern crest, right on the border between the Austrian states of Salzburg and Carinthia, near the tripoint with East Tyrol. It was given its present name in honour of Archduke John of Austria by the Regensburg botanist David Heinrich Hoppe in 1832, on the occasion of a failed attempt to advance into the area beyond the Riffltor (3,094 m). The Johannisberg has, seen from the east, a firn-capped dome shape, its western side consists of a mighty, 450 metre high and 50° inclined West Face. Long, prominent, knife-edge ridges radiate away from it to the northwest and southwest. The mountain is a popular destination for walkers and climbers due to its easy accessibility.