Ötztal

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Ötztal
The Ötztal near Längenfeld, looking north

The Ötztal near Längenfeld , looking north

location Tyrol , Austria
Waters Ötztaler Ache
Mountains Stubai Alps , Ötztal Alps
Geographical location 47 ° 6 '  N , 10 ° 57'  E Coordinates: 47 ° 6 '  N , 10 ° 57'  E
Ötztal (Tyrol)
Ötztal
rock Granite , gneiss
height 670 to  1470  m above sea level A.
length 65 km
climate Inner alpine dry area
flora All climate levels from fruit growing to Nivalen level ( glacier )
Template: Infobox Glacier / Maintenance / Image description missing
Wildspitze , the highest mountain in North Tyrol 3768 m
In the rear Ötztal after snowfall in autumn

The Ötztal is a side valley of the Inn Valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol . The five municipalities of Sautens , Oetz , Umhausen , Längenfeld and Sölden are located in the approximately 65 kilometer long valley . The Ötztal is internationally known for its winter sports areas in Sölden-Hochsölden, Obergurgl-Hochgurgl and Oetz.

geography

Location and landscape

Radar image of the upper Ötztal from space (1994): in the NE, already outside of the image, Zwieselstein, from where the Venter Tal runs diagonally into the center of the picture, north of it the Wildspitze . In the E the uppermost Gurgler Valley , in the N Pitztal , in the NW Kaunertal with Gepatschspeicher , south of it the large area of ​​the Gepatschferner , in the W Melagtal ( Langtaufers BZ)

The Ötztal is a 65 km long alpine valley running in north-south direction . It is the longest side valley of the Inn Valley and the longest transverse valley in the Eastern Alps . The valley separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. Politically it belongs to the Imst district . The name is derived from the main town Oetz, which was the place of justice.

About 45 kilometers west of Innsbruck the Ötztaler Ache flows into a landslide landscape of the Tschirgant , between Haiming and Roppen at about 670 meters above sea level in the Inn . The district of Ötztal-Bahnhof von Haiming was created during the construction of the Arlbergbahn and forms the entrance to the valley.

The tongues of the Ice Age Ötztal Glacier, fed by the glaciers, carved the valley into a narrow trough valley, which was divided into stages by several landslides. The long narrow valley between Längenfeld and Sölden divides it into a snow-poor summer tourist area in the outer valley and a winter sports area in the inner valley.

The valley extends over five climatically and scenically distinctive levels from extensive orchards and grain fields at the valley entrance to the extensive glacier region. The valley basins of Oetz , Umhausen , Längenfeld , Sölden and Zwieselstein spread out in the valley steps, which are separated from each other by gorges and narrows . At Zwieselstein, the main valley divides ("Zwieselt") into the Gurgler and Venter valley . The Timmelstal flows into the Gurgler Valley with the Timmelsjoch , the connection to Merano in South Tyrol . The valley steps were created in the outer and middle parts by landslides, the debris of which the Ötztaler Ache dammed up and shallow alluvial plains.

Larger side valleys branch off mainly to the east. The Nedertal branches off at Oetz , from Längenfeld the Sulztal with the district Gries im Sulztal , from Umhausen the Horlachtal with the district Niederthai .

Only around 5% of the valley area is considered a settlement area.

The glaciers (regionally referred to as Ferner ) are important water reservoirs. 115 km² (13%) of the catchment area of ​​the Ötztaler Ache are covered by glaciers. The largest are the Gurgler Ferner , the Schalfferner , the Vernagtferner and the Hintereisferner . Climatic fluctuations repeatedly led to glaciers growing and melting back, but glacier retreat has been noted since the middle of the 19th century . The glacier areas in the Ötztal have decreased by 95 km² since 1850.

In the Ötztal and Stubai Alps there are numerous mountain lakes that were created by glacier ice gouging and subsequent melting.

Communities

The Ötztal is divided - from north to south - into the following communities:

The five municipalities, together with the municipalities of Haiming and Roppen, which are largely located in the Inn Valley, form the Ötztal Planning Association with 21,687 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) and an area of ​​911.5 km², 4.7% of which is permanent settlement.

climate

The Tschirgant largely protects the valley from cold north winds, and the south winds warm up when crossing the mountain slopes, so that the Ötztal has a remarkably mild climate. The differences in altitude between the individual valley levels also have an impact on the climate and vegetation, in Sautens and Oetz even grapevines and sweet chestnuts thrive. Due to its location in the rain shadow of the Alps, the valley is one of the driest areas in the Alpine region (mean annual precipitation in Umhausen: 692 mm).

Monthly average temperatures and precipitation for Umhausen ( 1041  m above sea level )
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 2.8 4.6 8.6 12.1 17.3 19.9 22.2 21.7 18.2 13.3 6.5 3.1 O 12.6
Min. Temperature (° C) -6.1 -5.4 -2.1 1.0 5.3 8.2 10.4 10.2 7.0 2.9 -2.1 -5.0 O 2.1
Temperature (° C) -2.6 -1.5 2.2 5.7 10.6 13.3 15.4 15.0 11.4 6.8 1.2 -1.7 O 6.4
Precipitation ( mm ) 32.6 28.1 41.5 37.3 62.6 93.5 103.1 100.7 62.1 44.8 46.7 39.3 Σ 692.3
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 2.6 3.6 4.1 4.8 5.4 5.3 5.9 5.7 4.9 4.1 2.8 2.1 O 4.3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
2.8
-6.1
4.6
-5.4
8.6
-2.1
12.1
1.0
17.3
5.3
19.9
8.2
22.2
10.4
21.7
10.2
18.2
7.0
13.3
2.9
6.5
-2.1
3.1
-5.0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		32.6
28.1
41.5
37.3
62.6
93.5
103.1
100.7
62.1
44.8
46.7
39.3
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Natural hazards

The valley is repeatedly threatened by mudslides , rockslides , avalanches and floods . In the past, there was particularly severe devastation in the entire valley all the way into the Inn valley with the eruptions of the Rofener and Gurgler ice lakes and the Fischbach .

geology

Rockslide from Köfels

The Ötztal is completely in the crystalline area. Its surrounding mountains consist of paragneiss and granite gneiss, hornblende (south of Längenfeld), mica schist (southern Ötztal Alps) and behind Obergurgl some marble . The slate rocks weather more easily and form the basis for vegetation and thus the highest permanent settlement in the Eastern Alps.

The rock is poor in ore , and minerals can only be found above the Sulztal and on the Granatkogel. The block of the Ötztal Alps originated further south and was shifted by the pressure of the formation of the Alps. One part was already formed 450 million years ago, another part about 300 million years ago.

The most spectacular landslide landscape is at the entrance to the Ötztal, where the demolition rubble of the Tschirgant extends far into the Ötztal estuary and only allows dry pine forest. Another important landslide area is Köfels near Umhausen : The pumice stone , which otherwise does not occur in the Ötztal, puzzled geologists for a long time. It was long used by farmers as a building material or to scrub wooden barrels. Hypotheses have been put forward that the pumice stone was formed during a volcanic eruption or a meteorite impact . However, more recent studies assume a massive landslide , which is said to have transformed the gneiss into a rock similar to pumice stone, known today as Köfelsite , due to its frictional heat . The event was dated around 8,700 years ago. Over 3 cubic kilometers of rock with a mass of around 5 billion tons poured out over an area of ​​12 square kilometers.

history

Umhausen around 1920
Sölden with Berghof around 1920
Längenfeld in 1911
Shepherd and flock of sheep in the Ötztal, 1941
Festival costume in the Ötztal (photo taken after 1945)

Stone Age hunters roamed the high mountain region of the Innerötztal 9000 years ago . An important find was made in 1991 when a glacier mummy from the Neolithic Age (around 3300 BC) was found on the Tisenjoch ( called Ötzi ). At that time the valley was already a high grazing area. In the rest of the Ötztal there are no finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages. The first known tribe that settled in the Inn valley and probably occasionally penetrated the anterior Ötztal are the Raetians . 15 BC the Romans conquered the Alpine region and the Ötztal became part of the province of Raetia .

The decisive settlement of the Ötztal came from the north by the Bavarians , which are first recorded between the Alps and the Danube around 550. They mingled with the local Romansh . The first documented reports of settlement in the valley come from the 12th century: The Ötztal is mentioned in 1163 as Ezital and Sölden in 1166/1167 as Seldon . The first Urhöfe in the Innerötztal were first mentioned in a document between 1288 and 1370 AD. In the municipality of Sölden, one of these original farms is the Berghof .

The rear Ötztal (the Ventertal) is also called the Kurzlehnertal in the church chronicle.

Count Meinhard II of Tyrol-Görz made Petersberg Castle near Silz the seat of court and administration, including for the Ötztal (Silz is still the seat of the district court today ). At that time, the most powerful landlords, in addition to the respective sovereign princes, included the lords of Schwangau near Füssen , the lords of Starkenberg near Tarrenz , the lords of Montalban near Meran and, as clergymen , the Frauenchiemsee and Stams monasteries and monasteries . The feudal lords founded Schwaighöfe , in which only cattle farming was carried out. The base rate usually had to be delivered in the form of cheese loaves. Around the middle of the 14th century, many Schwaighöfe were closed and converted into alpine huts. Some of these farms have been able to survive as year-round mountain farms, such as the Rofenhöfe near Vent . Their special rights (including tax exemption) were confirmed by Maximilian I in 1496 and only finally revoked in 1849.

Flax was grown in the valley, especially in Umhausen, and processed into linen until a few decades ago. In 1320 the first mule track was laid over the Timmelsjoch.

In the 17th century, the eruption of the Rofener Eisseee, which was dammed up by the Vernagtferner, devastated the Ötztal and in some cases even the Inn Valley.

In 1830, the decision was made in Obergurgl to prevent further families from being founded by prohibiting marriage because the barren soil made it impossible to feed the population. It was repealed in 1850. Despite the lucrative flax cultivation and cattle breeding, many residents were forced to emigrate, for example to America, or to hire themselves out as foreign workers in Germany and Switzerland. As Swabian children, many mountain farmer children walked across the Arlberg to the children's markets in Swabia .

Ötztal rifle companies also had their share in the war events of 1809, 1848, 1859 and 1866, where there was a pleasant encounter with Clemens Franz Xaver Reichsgraf von Westphalen, who after the end of the war numerous aristocrats from his family and friends came to Oetz for summer and thus became one of the first tourism pioneers.

In the middle of the 19th century, alpinism also began in the high mountains. The "Glacier Pastor" Franz Senn , who can be regarded as the actual founder of the Tyrolean mountain guide system, was not insignificantly involved . Numerous shelters were also built .

An important traffic connection was completed in 1903 with the road from Ötztal train station to Sölden.

With the peace treaty of St. Germain signed in 1919 , South Tyrol became part of Italy and the main Alpine ridge became the border. The official border traffic over the Timmelsjoch was interrupted.

In 1931, when the Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard landed with his stratospheric balloon on the Gurgler Ferner, the touristic development of Obergurgl began. The emergency landing made the place known far and wide.

The thousand-mark block issued by Adolf Hitler in 1933 caused an economic setback due to the absence of a large number of the important German holiday guests. Clever propaganda and the economic hardship ensured an influx of the National Socialists in the Ötztal ; However, their anti-church attitude met with great resistance from the population.

In the period after the Second World War , the economic and living conditions changed increasingly. The steadily growing tourism led to a decline in mountain agriculture, which was often carried out under the toughest conditions, and to pronounced settlement activity. This also led to a growing criticism of the excesses of tourism, which often affects the landscape and nature.

In 1968 the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road was opened to traffic.

Culture and sights

Umhauser Larchzieh'n 2010

Cultural life is maintained in spite of the occasional appropriation by tourism in music bands, traditional costume associations and rifle companies (traditional associations). The traditional Larchzieh'n takes place in Umhausen every five years .

In Längenfeld, the Free State of Burgstein, an art forum has been set up as a summer studio. The folklorist, dialect poet and mountain farmer Hans Haid , born in Längenfeld in 1938, criticizes the excesses of mass tourism in his works and is the founder of several initiatives for regional development.

Worth seeing

Mills of the Ötztal open-air museum

Ötztal dialect

The Ötztal belongs to the Tyrolean- South Bavarian dialect area, but is one of the oldest forms of the South Bavarian language due to its relatively long conservation due to its traffic and geographical isolation. The outer Ötztal is still under the influence of the Upper Inn Valley, the inner one under that of the Passeier and Schnalstal in South Tyrol, while in the central Ötztal the linguistic peculiarities are most originally preserved, such as the vowels and syllables of early Middle High German .

Typical is the preservation of the prefix ge (as in gewesn, geköfet ), formation of the palatalized vowels / ø y / from / ou / ( höech, güet, Röck ) as well as the retention of the Old / Middle High German ending in I / you / me (who otherwise got lost in southern and central Bavaria). Alemannic influences can be seen in Löb (leaves instead of Bavarian rennet ), numma (Bavarian nimma ) and nuicht (not); also Romansh feud is received.

In its specific form, the Ötztal dialect is unique, lively with around 8,000 to 15,000 active speakers, and was included in the register of intangible cultural heritage in Austria in 2010 .

Word examples:

not → not
what is it? → What is it? (,What's happening?')
Roan → Rain , 'steep slope'
reasche → quickly, 'quickly'
Fargla →, Kraxe ', a device that previously for supporting the hay has been used
Onewontar → small green belt on the edge of a field
Stangger → Stangen , ' Dieme ' (used to dry the hay)
Dila → hall , ' hayloft ' or ' attic '
Friahaa → early hay , first cut of mowing
Gruamat → Grummet , second cut
Boufl → third cut
Ebe → female sheep
Vurmenta / Kotza / Afflan / Bear → marmot , cat / monkey / bear (female / young / male marmot)
Zwui → what for

Audio sample: Poem gehüenooglt

economy

Agriculture

Only around four percent of the population is active in agriculture alone. Flax cultivation and processing no longer play a role today.

In the first, climatically favored valley step of Oetz and Sautens, grain, silage and grain maize are grown, and fruit-growing with various stone and pome fruits, which is also used to make schnapps, is of great importance. Apricots , peaches , wine and sweet chestnuts thrive in protected locations . The arable land is five percent of the agricultural area.

In the next two valley steps from Umhausen and Längenfeld, only potatoes and barley are grown. In the last valley steps of Sölden, Gurgl and Vent there is no more arable farming at all, 95 percent of the agriculturally used area is alpine pastures or mountain meadows.

Alpine pastures in the Ötztal, Albin Egger-Lienz, 1911

Cattle farming has declined in recent decades. In their place came the keeping of sheep. Every year in mid-June, over 3000 sheep from Schnalstal in South Tyrol are herded in several small groups to their summer pastures near Vent. From early to mid-September the sheep are then driven back in two large groups, starting from the Martin-Busch-Hütte and the Hochjoch-Hospiz, and welcomed with a folk festival in Vernagt.

The alpine pasture is seasonally operated as extensive pasture farming and, in addition to a recreational function (use as a snack station ), has a protective function, as grazing prevents the occurrence of erosion (landslides).

With direct marketing an attempt is being made in agriculture to break new ground.

Tourism benefits directly and indirectly from agriculture, the products produced and the preservation of the cultural landscape.

The hunting rights were granted by the sovereigns until 1849 and are now owned by the landowner. The waters (Ötztaler Ache with tributaries) are divided into eleven fishing areas and are subject to the supervision of appointed fishery supervisory bodies.

tourism

Tourism association logo
Winter sports resort Hochsölden in the Ötztal

With around 3.8 million overnight stays (including around 2.7 million in winter) (as of 2014), the Ötztal is one of the tourist conurbations in Tyrol. The places in the outer Ötztal are more bi-seasonally oriented, whereas in Sölden with its districts, winter tourism is dominant.

Since the construction of the first Sölden chairlift in 1948, the transport systems have been continuously expanded. In the 1960s, was Hochgurgl and opened up the glacier ski area on the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glacier in the 1970s. The Rettenbachferner is also the scene of alpine ski world cup competitions. In 1975 the mountain railway to the Acherkogl in Ötz started operating in the lower Ötztal . The thermal baths in Längenfeld , which opened at the end of 2004, give the front Ötztal a further tourist impulse. Tourism is therefore the most important employer in the valley.

Today the following ski areas exist in the valley:

There are a total of 87 lifts (including Kühtai) in the Ötztal.

Trade, craft, trade

The craft and commercial enterprises are characterized by a high degree of dependency on their most important client, tourism. The main part is taken up by the construction industry and the construction ancillary trades. These companies are located in the front and middle Ötztal, z. B. Auer from Umhausen and Thurner from Oetz . The companies have grown with the tourism industry and are now active nationwide.

Local suppliers such as bakers, confectioners and butchers are on the decline due to competition from modern forms of commercial distribution and delivery services. However, some small retailers were still able to hold out. Retailers and tourism businesses are mainly supplied by external suppliers, while agricultural products complement the catering needs.

traffic

The Ötztalstraße (B 186) leads through the Ötztal from the Oberinntal - with a connection to the Inntal motorway (A 12) - to the border with South Tyrol ( Italy ). The last section from Hochgurgl to Timmelsjoch forms the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road and is toll road . The Timmelsjoch is closed in winter and is only open during the day. From the Timmelsjoch there is a connection via the Italian state road 44 to St. Leonhard in Passeier and then via the state road 44 to Merano .

There is also a road connection from the Sellraintal via the Kühtaisattel to Oetz.

The Ötztal is connected to the railway network via the Arlbergbahn ( Innsbruck - Bludenz ) with the Ötztal train station at the entrance to the valley. The Ötztaler Verkehrsgesellschaft and the Postbus operate bus routes from Innsbruck and Imst via Ötztal train station to Obergurgl, to the Timmelsjoch, to the Rettenbach and Tiefenbachferner near Sölden and to the side valleys. A ski bus service is offered in winter.

Web links

Commons : Ötztal  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Ötztal  - travel guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Gernot Patzelt : The Ötztal - Topographical Identification. In: Eva Maria Koch, Brigitta Verschbamer (eds.): Glacial and periglacial habitats in the Obergurgl area , Alpine Research Center Obergurgl - Volume 1, Innsbruck University Press, Innsbruck 2010, ISBN 978-3-902719-50-8 , p. 9– 11 ( PDF; 1.5 MB )
  2. ↑ Statistics Austria - Population at the beginning of 2002–2020 by municipalities (area status 01/01/2020)
  3. ↑ Martin Bitschnau , Hannes Obermair : Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Department: The documents on the history of the Inn, Eisack and Pustertal valleys. Vol. 2: 1140-1200 . Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck 2012, ISBN 978-3-7030-0485-8 , p. 184 .
  4. ^ Kurt Klein (edit.): Historical local dictionary. Statistical documentation on population and settlement history. Ed .: Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) d. Austrian Academy of Sciences. Urhöfe in the village of Sölden, p. 37
  5. ^ Tirol: Mundart im Ötztal ( Memento from December 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) , austria.info
  6. ^ Ötztaler Mundart ( Memento from September 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) , National Agency for Intangible Cultural Heritage, Austrian UNESCO Commission
  7. ↑ poem gehüenooglt ( Memento of 2 September 2009 at the Internet Archive ) in MP3 format
  8. ↑ Hans Haid : Ways of the Sheep: the millennia-old shepherd culture between South Tyrol and the Ötztal , Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck / Vienna 2008 ISBN 978-3-7022-2901-6 or publishing house Athesia, Bozen ISBN 978-88-8266-504-3
  9. ↑ Land Tirol: Region profile Ötztal - Statistics 2015 ( Memento from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 763 kB)