The Wipp Valley
(german: Wipptal) is an Alpine valley in
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, Austria and in
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
, Italy, running between
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
and
Franzensfeste
Franzensfeste (; it, Fortezza ) is a ''comune'' in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is named after the large Franzensfeste Fortress erected from 1833 to 1838 and Franzensfeste station is also known as an important railway hub.
Geography
Fra ...
. The
Brenner Pass
The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...
(1,374 m) at the Austro-Italian border divides it into the northern, Austrian Lower Wipp Valley (''Unteres Wipptal'') and the southern, Italian Upper Wipp Valley (''Oberes Wipptal''). The Lower Wipp Valley extends along the
Sill River southward from
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, where the Sill meets the larger
Inn River
, image = UnterinntalWest.JPG
, image_caption = Lower Inn valley from Rattenberg castle
, source1_location = Swiss Alps (Lägh dal Lunghin)
, source1_elevation =
, source1_coordinates=
, mouth_location = Danube (Passau)
, mo ...
, up to the Brenner Pass. South of the border, the Upper Wipp Valley stretches along the
Eisack
The Eisack (german: Eisack, ; it, Isarco ; Latin: ''Isarus'' or ''Isarcus'') is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draw ...
River by way of
Sterzing
Sterzing (; it, Vipiteno ) is a comune in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is the main town of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town.
History
Origin
The town traces its roots to 14 B.C., when Nero Claudius ...
to
Franzensfeste
Franzensfeste (; it, Fortezza ) is a ''comune'' in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is named after the large Franzensfeste Fortress erected from 1833 to 1838 and Franzensfeste station is also known as an important railway hub.
Geography
Fra ...
. It forms the
Wipptal District of the province of South Tyrol.
The Brenner
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
(motorway) (A13 in Austria, A22 in Italy) passes through the valley, beginning with the
Europa Bridge
__NOTOC__
The Europa Bridge or Bridge of Europe (''Europabrücke'') is a bridge carrying the A13 Brenner Autobahn (and European route E45) over the Wipp valley just south of Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. The bridge spans the Sill River, and for ...
near Innsbruck. It is an important road connection across the Alps, forming part of the connection between
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
. The inhabitants of the Wipp Valley have been complaining for years about the volume of traffic. The
Brenner railway also runs through the valley. The proposed
Brenner Base Tunnel
The Brenner Base Tunnel (german: Brennerbasistunnel; it, Galleria di base del Brennero) is a railway tunnel under construction through the base of the Eastern Alps beneath the Brenner Pass. Upon completion, it will be the second or third longe ...
would remove all long-distance trains from the valley.
Wipptal was politically and culturally united in the
County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised pr ...
and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen
The Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen (german: Diözese Bozen-Brixen, it, Diocesi di Bolzano-Bressanone, la, Dioecesis Bauzanensis-Brixinensis) is a Catholic diocese in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Bolzano. Its territory corresponds wit ...
up to the
Treaty of St Germain in 1920.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Valleys of Tyrol (state)
Valleys of the Alps
Innsbruck-Land District
Valleys of South Tyrol