The
Ötztal is a 65-kilometer long alpine valley in the
Austrian state of Tyrol
. The Ötztaler Ache
river flows through the valley in a northern
direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps
in the east from the Ötztal Alps
in the west. The northern end of the valley is at the
confluence of the Ötztaler Ache and Inn
rivers, 8
kilometers east of Imst
and 50
kilometers west of Innsbruck
. Here is the only railway station of the
valley, Ötztal railway station
, which connects the Ötztal with the Arlberg railway (Innsbruck-Bludenz
) and also a
motorway interchange to the A12
. The southern end of the valley, also called
the Gurglertal (valley of the Gurgler)
terminates at the border with Italy
, formed by
the main chain of the Alps, with many glaciers 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.
In 1991,
Ötzi the Iceman, a
well-preserved natural mummy from about 3300 BC, was found in the
nearby Schnalstal
glacier near the Finielspitze and the Similaun. The Ötzi
monument is located about an hour's walk from the Similaun
Hut.
The Ötztal
comprises five municipalities (from north to south): Sautens
, Oetz
, Umhausen
, Längenfeld
and Sölden
. The
main industry in the valley is
tourism: the
mountains around the valley are popular with
mountaineers and
skiers. There are
ski
resorts in the upper part of the valley at Sölden, Hochsölden,
and Hochgurgl.
The Timmelsjoch
mountain pass connects the Ötztal with the Passeier
Valley
and Meran
in the
province of Bolzano/Bozen,
Italy.
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