The Lower Inn Valley () is that part of the Inntal valley through which the
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 accomm ...
river flows from a point a few kilometres west of
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal 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 Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
near its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
with the
Melach downstream to a few kilometres before
Rosenheim
Rosenheim () is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the Rosenheim (district), district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn ...
. A further distinction can be made between the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley (''Tiroler Unterinntal'') (as far as
Kufstein
Kufstein (; ) is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The greatest landmark is Kufstein For ...
) and the Bavarian Lower Inn Valley (from
Kiefersfelden
Kiefersfelden is a municipality with about 7000 inhabitants located in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany, on the border with Tyrol, Austria.
Geography
Geographical location
Kiefersfelden is located in the foothills of the Alps, in t ...
).
The Lower Inn Valley should not be confused with the
Tyrolean Unterland, of which it forms only a part. The Lower Inn Valley has one of the largest metropolitan areas in Austria. Around 380,000 people (2001) live in a relatively small area between Innsbruck and Rosenheim. The highest population densities, in terms of people per square kilometre, occur in Innsbruck (3,149), Rum (2,982), Kufstein (2,374), Hall i.T.(2,210) and Rosenheim (1,977).
Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley
Unlike the
Upper Inn Valley the Lower Inn Valley is very wide, densely settled and relatively industrialised. The
South Bavarian dialect
A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
s exhibit transition features into Middle Bavarian.
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Valleys of Tyrol (federal state)
Inn (river)