TYROL
Peaceful coexistence prevails in the Ötztal Alps: Hikers and grazing cattle share the high-alpine countryside
IN THE HEART OF THE ALPS- Tyrol
© Tyrol Tourist Office / Photo: Matthias Burtscher
In Tyrol, you only find flatland in the valley bottoms- such as the central Inntal, which crosses the province from west to east.
Branching off from the Inn, to the north and south, are many other valleys, each a small world unto itself, extending out all the way to the valley head. Each flanked by mountains, providing the people an area to live that was once clearly defined by Mother Nature herself. The horizon lay high above and was, at one time, practically insurmountable. Every journey over a pass, every path along a ridgeline and down into a different valley was thoroughly considered and only undertaken for important reasons. Mountain hikes, rock climbing, scrambling- these are all“ fashionable” manifestations of life in the mountains. They are late descendants both of the Enlightenment, when thoughts turned to discovering and exploring the mountains, and of the Romantic movement. In the 19th century, experiencing the mountains became the object of aesthetic enjoyment. For those of us who find ourselves only temporarily in the Alps, the mountain is something very different than what it is for the people who live here: The Alpine person and the person in the Alps are different creatures: one experiences the Alps as the mighty setting for his reality, the other as an astonishing or conquerable giant within his own voluntarily chosen geographical realm. The Alpine person was and is a farmer. Cowherds and dairymaids make it possible for hikers to stop in for refreshments at mountain huts and enjoy the sight of cows and young animals grazing freely on open pastures. Tyrol is Austria’ s most mountainous province. Not only many a steep climb, but also breathtaking panoramas simply take your breath away. The interplay of summits, canyons, rivers and lakes makes Tyrol a destination for active holidaymakers. The scarce living areas, which the Tyrolese have defiantly wrested from Mother Nature, are shared hospitably, for Tyrol leads all Austrian provinces when it comes to tourism. Here, tradition is successfully and sustainably combined with modernity and dynamism. Tyrol becomes a place without bounds for all who venture to higher elevations- hiking, scrambling, mountaineering. 5,000 alpine climbing routes, 3,000 rock-climbing routes and 1500 bouldering challenges can be found on the Internet at www. climbers-paradise. com Practically limitless opportunities await mountain bikers in Tyrol – from the Nordkette Downhill above Innsbruck and many other spectacular trails and downhill courses in all parts of the province, to Bikepark Tyrol, which was opened a few years ago in Wipptal in the area of the“ Berger Alm”. Mountain bikers find in Tyrol more than 5,000 designated and marked mountain-bike trails. www. bike. tirol. at The longest side valley of the River Inn, Ötztal is