The Ötztal is an alpine valley located 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 Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The

Ötztaler Ache The Ötztaler Ache is a river in the district of Imst, Tyrol, Austria, a right tributary of the Inn. It flows through the Ötztal valley, a southern branch the Inntal. Including its source rivers and , it is long. The Rofenache is the runoff o ...

river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the

Stubai Alps The Stubai Alps (in German ''Stubaier Alpen'') is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps of Europe. It derives its name from the Stubaital valley to its east and is located southwest of Innsbruck, Austria. Several peaks form the border betwee ...

in the east from the

Ötztal Alps The Ötztal Alps ( it, Alpi Venoste, german: Ötztaler Alpen) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the State of Tyrol in western Austria and the Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. Geography The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at ...

in the west. The valley is long. The northern end of the valley is at the confluence of the Ötztaler Ache and

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

rivers, 8 km east of

Imst Imst (; Southern Bavarian: ''Imscht'') is a town in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It lies on the River Inn in western Tyrol, some west of Innsbruck and at an altitude of above sea level. With a current population (2013) of 9,552, Imst ...

and 50 km west of

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 ...

. The only railway station of the valley,

Ötztal railway station Ötztal is a railway station on the Arlberg railway between Innsbruck and Bludenz in Tyrol, Austria. In Ötztal the second track coming from Innsbruck ends and the Arlberg line continues as a single-track railway till Landeck. Services Rail ...

, is located here and connects the Ötztal with the

Arlberg railway The Arlberg Railway (german: Arlbergbahn), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, a ...

(

Bludenz Bludenz (; Alemannic: ''Bludaz'') is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of the Vorarlberg's territory. Geography The town is located on the Il ...

) and also a motorway interchange to the A12 (E60). The southern end of the valley, also called the Gurglertal, terminates at the border with Italy. The valley is formed by the main chain of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, with many

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s and high peaks, including the

Weißkugel Weißkugel (; ) or Weißkogel is the second highest mountain in the Ötztal Alps and the third highest mountain in Austria. Featuring many glaciers, it lies on the border between Austria and Italy. The easiest way to climb it is over its south ...

and the

Similaun The Similaun () is a mountain in the Schnalskamm group of the Ötztal Alps. It is on the Austrian- Italian border. At 3,606 m, it is Austria's sixth highest summit. It was first ascended in 1834 by Josef Raffeiner and Theodor Kaserer. It ...

. The village of

Obergurgl Obergurgl is a village in the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol, Austria. Located in the municipality of Sölden, the village has approximately 400 year-round inhabitants, and is mainly a tourist resort. At an elevation of , Obergurgl is the highest parish i ...

at the southern end of the Ötztal is the highest parish in Austria. The Ötztal consists of five municipalities (from north to south):

Sautens Sautens is a municipality in the Imst district located southeast of Imst on the lower course of the Ötztaler Ache. The village is located to catch the sun but is protected from the wind, which makes for an especially mild climate. The main sourc ...

Oetz Oetz is a municipality in the Imst (district), Imst district of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria, located 11.7 km (7.3 mi) southeast of Imst at the lower course of the Ötztaler Ache in the outer Ötztal valley at the foot of Acherkogel mou ...

Umhausen Umhausen is a municipality in the Imst district of state of Tyrol in western Austria. It and is located 17 km southeast of Imst at the Ötztaler Ache in the Ötztal. It has 3078 inhabitants. Geography The municipality consists of six vill ...

Längenfeld Längenfeld is a municipality and a village the Imst (district) and is located 25 km southeast of Imst in the Ötztal valley, 14 km north of Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. ...

, and

Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...

. The main industry in the valley is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. The mountains around the valley are popular with both

mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

. There are

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

s in the upper part of the valley at Sölden, Hochsölden, and Hochgurgl. The

Timmelsjoch Timmelsjoch ( it, Passo del Rombo), (elevation ) is a high mountain pass that creates a link through the Ötztal Alps along the border between Austria and Italy. The Timmelsjoch connects the Ötztal valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol to the P ...

mountain pass connects the Ötztal with the

Passeier Valley The Passeier Valley (german: Passeier or ; it, Passiria or Val Passiria ) is the valley of the Passer river, in the mountains of South Tyrol, northern Italy. The Passer river is a left-bank tributary to the Adige. At the mouth of the valley, whe ...

and

Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...

in the province of

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. The

Ötztal Glacier Road The Ötztal Glacier Road, (german: Ötztaler Gletscherstraße), at 2,830 m (9,285 ft), is the second highest paved road in Europe. It is the access road from Sölden to the Rettenbach glacier and Tiefenbachferner glacier in the Ötztal Alps. It ...

is the highest paved road in the Alps. It is the access road from Sölden to the

Rettenbach glacier The Rettenbach glacier (german: ''Rettenbachferner'' or. ''Rettenbachgletscher'') is a glacier in Europe, located near Sölden in the Ötztal Alps of Tyrol, Austria. During the winter, the glacier is accessible by cable car and from spring time ...

and the Tiefenbachferner glacier. The highest point of the glacier road is at southern end of the ski tunnel ().

History

The oldest tool finds in the region, evidence of human settlement are approximately thousands of years old. Most famous example is a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived around 3,300 BCE with the nickname

Ötzi Ötzi, also called the Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived some time between 3350 and 3105 BC, discovered in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi") on the border between Austria and Italy. Ötzi is believed to ...

; he is also called the Iceman, the Similaun Man, the Man from Hauslabjoch, the Tyrolean Iceman, Homo tyrolensis, and the Hauslabjoch mummy. Ötzi was found in 1991 in the nearby

Schnalstal The Schnalstal ( it, Val Senales) is a side valley of the Vinschgau in the autonomous province of South Tyrol, Italy. It belongs almost in its entirety to the municipality of Schnals, while small parts in the entrance area lie in Naturns und Kaste ...

glacier near the

Fineilspitze The Fineilspitze ( it, Punta di Finale) is a peak in the Schnalskamm group of the Ötztal Alps on the border between Tyrol, Austria, and South Tyrol, Italy. It is known for being the discovery site of Ötzi Ötzi, also called the Iceman, is the ...

and the Similaun. The Ötzi monument is located about an hour's walk from the Similaun Hut.

is the oldest village in the Ötztal area.

as we know it today grew out of 20 buildings in the 13th century AD. One of these buildings, which still exists today, is the Berghof. A building on the site of the Berghof was first mentioned in 1370. In 1588, the Berghof was mentioned in the records of St. Petersberg Castle as one of the original farmsteads.

Hedwig von Trapp / The Sound of Music

Hedwig von Trapp The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) were a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the i ...

, a member of the Trapp family, lived and worked after the dissolution of the family choir in Farst, above Umhausen. This workplace, located at 1470 meter above sea level was designed to alleviate the asthma-related Hedwig von Trapp. Hedwig von Trapp was known from the film and musical

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

, in this film the experiences of the Trapp family have been filmed. Hedwig von Trapp was portrayed by the character "Brigitta" in the film. The school, Hedwig von Trapp worked, is still in its original condition.

Gallery

File:2008 Ötztal 199 Nederkogel 3163.jpg, Nederkogel (3163 m) File:Talleitspitze.jpg, Talleitspitze (3406 m) File:Ötztal bei Längenfeld.jpg, Ötztal near

File:Albin Egger-Lienz 001.jpg, ''Alm landscape in the Ötztal'', painting by

Albin Egger-Lienz Albin Egger-Lienz (29 January 1868 – 4 November 1926) was an Austrian painter known especially for rustic genre and historical paintings. Career He was born in Dölsach-Stribach near Lienz, in what was the county of Tyrol. He was the natural s ...

(1911) File:Berghof soelden 2016.jpg,

Berghof (Sölden) The Berghof Sölden is a residence and former farmstead in Sölden, Austria. The building is one of the original farmsteads in the Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest ...

, a typically old farmstead, now an alpine lodge - tourist accommodation for guests

History

Hedwig von Trapp / The Sound of Music

Gallery

See also