Tiroler Lech Nature Park

Tiroler Lech Nature Park Association​

Tyrol

The Tyrolean Lech Valley , the Lech Valley on the upper reaches of the Lech in Tyrol, is a nature and landscape conservation area .

Location and landscape

The communities of Bach , Ehenbichl , Elbigenalp , Elmen , Forchach , Gramais , Häselgehr , Hinterhornbach , Höfen , Holzgau , Kaisers , Lechaschau , Musau , Namlos , Pfafflar , Pflach , Pinswang , Reutte , Stanzach , Steeg , Vils , Vorderhornbach , Wängle , and Weißenbach , all of the Reutte district . The information point, the Nature Park House , is located in Elmen am Lech.

The area encompasses the entire valley of the Lech, which here is a wild river in relatively pristine dynamics, from its headwaters to the Austrian border, is embedded between the Allgäu Alps and Lechtal Alps of the northern Limestone Alps .

Natural space and extensively used cultivated land are closely interlinked along the Lech. The river is accompanied by extensive alluvial forest (Weichholzau, Grauerlenau and dry pine meadow), but it also flows through grassland. The surrounding valley flanks are partly rugged and inaccessible. The settlement is also largely scattered, the traffic routes are consistently far away from the less regulated river.

upper Lechtal (near Steeg, Hägerau, Holzgau)

lower course of the Lech (near Musau)

History and protection status

Information board about the nature park at Alatsee

A Tyrolean Lechtal National Park was planned for the Tyrolean Lechtal . It should cover an area of ​​4,138  hectares . Since 1997, concrete efforts have been made to declare the Lechauen and their side valleys a national park. At the beginning of February 2003, the official assessment procedure for a National Park Act in the Tyrolean Lechtal was initiated. Finally, the decision was made in favor of a nature park and against an internationally recognized national park, partly because of conflicts with hunting .

In 2004, however, the Tyrolean state government decided to set up a nature reserve instead , which was also declared a nature park , both of which have been called Tiroler Lech since 2007 .

In addition, as Lechtal , it is a European protected area of the Natura 2000 network with notification in June 2000 , both in accordance with the Habitats Directive ( FFH area ) and the Birds Directive ( bird protection area , site code AT3309000). As a bird sanctuary, it is also classified as an Important Bird Area (IBA code AT051 , criterion C7).

The reserve covers 4,140  hectares . This is an often fragmented area, which is mainly in the regions between Vils and Reutte, and in the central area between Weissenbach and Elmen, where larger closed areas are designated (Krotemoos, Musau, Pinswang am lower, and floodplains around Forchach, Schwarzwassertal , Hornbachtal at the central section). Otherwise there are numerous small protected areas from the German border to the headwaters and cover altitudes of 810–1780 m with an average of 1080 m.

10% of the area is cultivated land, 60% forest (20% deciduous, 30% coniferous, 10% mixed forest), 20% grassland, 10% wetland, half of which is water. 25% of the use is agricultural, 60% forestry, 5% are urban and commercial spaces or transport infrastructure. Water faults are still possible due to the broad river bed.

Flora and fauna

The inner-alpine river landscape with its juniper trees , the population of the German tamarisk ( Myricaria germanica ), the abundance of birds and at least 1160 proven flowering plants are worth mentioning .

Winter sports

The Lech Valley, also known as the Arlberg Gate, is an area that is ideal for cross-country skiing , snowshoeing or ski tours in winter . The cross-country ski trail stretches for almost 40 km from Forchach to Steeg . The nature park also benefits from its proximity to the Ski Arlberg ski area .

Even if there are only isolated lifts in a few villages, there is still a lift network consisting of individual lifts in the various villages of the valley, the ski passes for Ski Arlberg have also been valid there since the 2015/16 winter season. Due to the numerous hiking opportunities and the increasing range of outdoor activities, summer tourism is also becoming increasingly important.

List of lifts in the Lechtal

place	Surname	Construction year	system	Height above sea level Valley station [meters]	Height above sea level Mountain station [meters]	Stretch- length [meters]	Promotional capacity [pers./hour]	business winter	business summer
Brook	Jöchlspitze baby lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	150	600	W.	0
Brook	Jöchelspitzbahn	2019	8-MGD	1,215	1,768	1,685	1,800	W.	S.
Floor (Pfaffler)	Facility lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	200	600	W.	0
Floor (Pfaffler)	Guide lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	150	600	W.	0
Elbigenalp	Sun lift	-	2-SL	-	-	400	1,000	W.	S.
Elbigenalp	Knittel I practice lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	100	600	W.	0
Elbigenalp	Knittel II practice lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	100	600	W.	0
Gramais	Sinesfuierlift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	-	-	W.	0
Häselgehr	Shooting range lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	126	680	W.	0
Holzgau	Gföllberg lift	-	2-SL	1.108	1,316	600	1,200	W.	0
Emperor	Floor lift	-	Knitting lift	-	-	-	-	W.	0
Stanzach	Oberfeld lift I	1975	Knitting lift	1,000	1,018	150	500	W.	0
Stanzach	Oberfeld lift II	1975	Knitting lift	940	1,090	200	500	W.	0
Stanzach	Steinmandllift	1975	2-SL	940	1,090	633	1,035	W.	0

The abbreviations in the "System" column are explained under aerial cableway .

Last 2 columns:

W = winter mode / S = summer mode, each highlighted in green

0 = no winter / summer operation, highlighted in red

Web links

Commons : Tiroler Lech Nature Park  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the Tiroler Lech Nature Park Association
• Map: Nature park, Natura2000 and nature reserve Tiroler Lech (ÖK200) , tiris (jpg 1.1 MB, map services »map gallery)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Nature Park House
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Natura 2000 Tirol , tirol.gv.at - there on the left on the area map, data sheets and listing of EU habitats and species
3. ↑ Tir LGBl. No. 83/2004, item 28 (pdf, tirol.gv.at)
4. ↑ Nature reserves in Tyrol , tiroler-schutzgebiete.at
5. ↑ Tiroler Lech Nature Park , tiroler-schutzgebiete.at
6. ↑ Tir LGBl. No. 33/2007, item 14 (pdf, tirol.gv.at)
7. ↑ ^{a b} Tyrolian Lech valley . BirdLife IBA Factsheet AT051, BirdLife International
8. ↑ Area for nature reserve with 4,141.23 ha, for Natura 2000 with 4,146.64 ha (source: tiris) or 4146.90 ha (source site code: AT3309000  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was . automatically marked as defective Please review the link according to instructions . and then remove this notice .   Natura 2000 data form, pdf), for IBA 4138 ha (source: BirdLife) stated square footage u. U. deviating depending on the scale of the recording
9. ^ Ski Arlberg, Pool West: Tickets - Lech, Oberlech, Zürs. Retrieved August 24, 2017 .