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 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 bet ...

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 ...

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, Ims ...

and 50 km west of Innsbruck. The only railway station of the valley, Ötztal railway station, is located here and connects the Ötztal with the Arlberg railway ( Innsbruck-

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 ...

) 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, ...

, 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 over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s and high peaks, including the Weißkugel and the Similaun. The village of Obergurgl at the southern end of the Ötztal is the highest parish in Austria. The Ötztal consists of five municipalities (from north to south): Sautens, Oetz,

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 v ...

, Längenfeld, and Sölden. The main industry in the valley is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

. The mountains around the valley are popular with both mountaineers 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 (I ...

. 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 N ...

s in the upper part of the valley at Sölden, Hochsölden, and Hochgurgl. The Timmelsjoch mountain pass connects the Ötztal with the Passeier Valley 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 is the highest paved road in the Alps. It is the access road from Sölden to the Rettenbach glacier 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 Ka ...

glacier near the Fineilspitze 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. Sölden 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, 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''. ...

, 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 Längenfeld File:Albin Egger-Lienz 001.jpg, ''Alm landscape in the Ötztal'', painting by Albin Egger-Lienz (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 region. Position The Berghof is located on the west side of the valley directly above the Sölden town ...

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

History

Hedwig von Trapp / The Sound of Music

Gallery

See also