Kaunertal
| Kaunertal | ||
|---|---|---|
 View from the Kaunerberg into the Kaunertal with the Weißseespitze in the background |
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| location | Tyrol , Austria | |
| Waters | Flag | |
| Mountains | Ötztal Alps | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 0 ′ N , 10 ° 45 ′ E | |
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| Type | Trough valley | |
| height | 900 to 1900 m above sea level A. | |
| length | 20 km | |
The Kaunertal is a north-south running valley in the Ötztal Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol . Parts of the valley are protected as the Kaunergrat Nature Park .
geography
Location and demarcation
The Kaunertal branches off to the east at Prutz from the Upper Court and makes a sharp bend to the south after around 5 km. The head of the valley is formed by the Gepatschferner , the second largest glacier in Austria. The Kaunertal is limited in the east by the Kaunergrat and in the west by the Glockturmkamm . The rear section of the valley is taken up by the 6 km long Gepatsch reservoir . The Fagge pervades the Gepatschferner coming the valley and flows near Prutz in the Inn . At Feichten , the Verpeiltal branches off from the Kaunertal to the east .
Communities
Most of the valley belongs to the municipality of Kaunertal , the exit into the Inntal to the municipalities of Kauns , Kaunerberg , Faggen and Prutz.
climate
The temperatures in the Kaunertal are −8 to 2 degrees Celsius in the winter months and between 13 and 25 degrees Celsius in the summer months. The warmest month is June and the coldest month is January. Overall, the Kaunertal has a moderate climate , making the valley a suitable location for summer and winter tourism.
history
The Kaunertal in the Austrian Alps has had a great development in the tourism industry over the past 100 years. The Kaunertal has always been described as romantic and at the same time wild valley , although it used to be very difficult to get there.
Until the middle of the 19th century, the Kaunertal was isolated and difficult to reach for post and tourism . In the valley lying pastures were then the reason for the construction of an access. It was through this that the first visitors came to the place, locals served as travel guides and individual inns were built. Initially part-time, some mountain farmers became mountain guides in 1873 . In 1930 the first tourist association was founded in the Kaunertal after the valley had found a connection to the transport links in 1928 .
However, the two world wars in 1914 and 1939 caused a setback in previous developments. The positive change in the room was stopped by the Nazi government .
From the mid-1950s onwards, there was a steady stream of holidaymakers. The local people became workers and landlords who were increasingly oriented towards tourism . The collaboration with the Kolping family factory from 1960 onwards resulted in a steadily increasing number of visitors, especially in summer. Since 1960 more and more tourist attractions have been built: ski areas have been opened, roads have been expanded. Since 1981 the number of visitors has quadrupled with 63,705 guest arrivals in 2013. The panorama road has been built since 1960 and the glacier area has been opened up with it. Since then, the number of tourists has increased significantly. The well-developed winter sports areas mean that almost as many tourists visit the Kaunertal in winter as in summer, which leads to a consolidation of visitor numbers. However, excessive tourism has consequences, which primarily have a negative impact on the geo-ecosystem of the Alpine landscape. The high demands on the region from winter tourism have the consequence that biodiversity and habitats are disturbed , making the region less attractive for summer tourism. In addition, the tourism that is too intensive is increasingly causing mudslides and avalanches .
The Kaunertal has officially been a nature park in parts since 2003 .
On July 25, 2019 came after heavy rains and thunderstorms in the afternoon to a landslide the road into the rear Kaunertal. (The mudslide left around 6.40 p.m. in the area of the Seewiese bus stop.) 40 people trapped there were flown out by helicopter the following day. Also in the Gschnitztal about 30 km east of the Kaunertal and in the Vinschgau in South Tyrol, mudslides broke out on the same day.
Transport and tourism
Feichten is the central place in the valley . About 1.3 kilometers south of the village, the Kaunertal Glacier Road becomes a toll road . It leads past the Gepatschspeicher and the Gepatschhaus refuge through high alpine terrain to the edge of the Weißseeferner . The end of the street is at 2750 m above sea level. A. , and is a popular destination for motorcyclists in summer. A ski area on the Weißseeferner, which is receding due to the melting of the glaciers , below the Weißseespitze , enables lift-assisted downhill skiing from autumn to early summer. The area around the Verpeilhütte in the Verpeiltal has become important for ice climbing in recent years .
The Kaunertal also offers sights such as old churches , cultural monuments or art sculptures . The Kaunertal offers an untouched natural landscape with many rivers and streams and a diverse animal world . Due to the increasing number of tourists, however, the environment suffers greatly.
Development of tourist numbers
| year | Residents of Kaunertal | Gas arrivals |
| 1840 | 1,066 | k. A. |
| 1881 | 521 | 16,339 |
| 1991 | 588 | 48,831 |
| 2001 | 593 | 55,821 |
| 2013 | 620 | 63,705 |
Natural spatial potential
The Kaunertal has extensive natural potential, which is very appealing to tourists . In addition to the idyll and the landscape , which consists of forests , meadows and mountains , tourists can view the surrounding flora and fauna . In addition, the Kaunertal is characterized by a quiet environment and little industry .
Target groups
- Familys
- walker
- athlete
- Seniors
- Individual tourists
- Nature enthusiasts
- Cultural tourists
- Educational tourists
People and culture
The former economist, green politician and today's Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen spent a few years in his early childhood in the Kaunertal.
The German band Rammstein shot their music video for the 2004 single, Ohne Dich, also in Kaunertal.
map
- Alpine Club Map 1: 25,000, sheet 30/3, Ötztal Alps - Kaunergrat
literature
- Diercke practice: work and study book. Qualification phase - secondary baptism II. W. Latz (Ed.), Bildungshaus Schulbuchverlage. Westermann, Braunschweig 2015.
Web links
- Kaunertal in the Tyrol Atlas of the University of Innsbruck
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kaunertal: Dozens salvaged by helicopter orf.at, July 26, 2019, accessed July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Mudslides and lightning record in South Tyrol orf.at, July 26, 2019, accessed July 27, 2019.