Sölden

Sölden is the largest area municipality in Austria, with 3550 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2013 ) in the southern part of the Ötztal valley in the district of Imst ( district court Silz ), Tyrol. Sölden is situated at an altitude of 1,368 m.

With nearly two million overnight stays per year and 15,000 guest beds Sölden is a major tourist area, mainly for winter sports. The former character of a mining village in the whole of the Ötztal was predominant until the second half of the 20th century, was lost and replaced by a tourist- alpine style.

• 2.1 cable car accident in Sölden

• 4.1 Tourism 4.1.1 Tourist infrastructure in winter
• 4.1.2 Tourist infrastructure in summer

• 5.1 municipal
• 5.2 Mayor
• 5.3 Coat of Arms

Geography

The municipal area of Sölden extends from the green dilatation of the fourth Ötztal stage to the high-altitude watershed in the south, which forms the border with Italy. 146 km ² are covered by glaciers, 321 km ² of peaks, alpine meadows and forests, and only about 1 sq. km are built by man. Thus Sölden in the Ötztal is the geographically largest town in all of Austria.

Community structure

The municipality comprises the following five villages (in brackets population as of 31 October 2011):

• Gurgl ( 499)
• Holy Cross (155 )
• Sölden ( 2378 )
• Vent (178 )
• Zwiesel stone (155 )

The municipality comprises the cadastral Sölden.

Neighboring communities

• Kaunertal,
• Length field,
• Neustift im Stubaital,
• St. Leonhard im Pitztal.

As well as in South Tyrol

• Graun im Vinschgau,
• Again,
• Moss in pass eggs,
• Racines,
• Schnals.

Districts

Districts are: Angern, Anraitl, Outdoor Forest, Außerwindau, Berghof mountain, this Bodenegg, Brandle, Three Houses, Plain, Gaislach, Gehörde, Granbichl, Granstein, Grünwald, Haslpuit, Holy Cross, Hochgurgl, Solden, yard, Hoefle, Infang, Innerwald Innerwindau, Emperor, Kress fountain, King Rain, fief, Leithe, Lochlehn, Mittelwindau, Moss, Neder, Obergurgl, Pill, Pirchhütt, Pitze, plate, Plör, Plödern, Poschach, Puit, Rain barn, Rechenau, Rettenbachferner, Rettenbachferner, savior Bachl, Rofen, Santle, Schmiedhof, sea, side, Solden, Tiefenbach Glacier, Untergurgl, undergrowth, Vent, wild moss, Winterstall, Welfare and Zwiesel stone.

Places in the municipality

Sölden

The once small Sölden has grown together with the other hamlets in a village street, here is with hotels, restaurants and guest houses also the tourist center of the municipality.

In the south of Solden the cable car starts on the Gaislachkogel up to 3,058 m altitude. From mercenaries Pitze 13 km of glacier road branches off to the ski resorts Rettenbachferner and, via the highest tunnel in the Alps to the Tiefenbachferner.

Solden

Above the valley lies at about 2083 m above sea level. A. is the 4-star hotel complex Solden, by a road and a cable car attached to the valley.

Zwieselstein

In Zwieselstein ( " zwieselt " ) divides the rear Ötztal in the Venter and Gurgler valley. This village has preserved ancient wooden houses partly its village character. Zwiesel 1269 stone was first mentioned in documents as Twiselsteyn. The place is also known as a stopping place opened in 1972 the European long-distance route E5.

Holy Cross

Holy Cross at 1,712 m above sea level. A. consists of several scattered at 8 km in the Venter Tal groups of houses. Since 1956, the road link to Vent has been continuously expanded and secured with avalanche galleries. In contrast to the other districts of Sölden, Holy Cross has opened up a little touristy.

Vent

The district Vent situated at an altitude of 1895 m above sea level. A. Venter at the end of the valley.

→ Main article: Vent

Obergurgl

At the end of Gurgler Tales are Obergurgl, with its 1,930 m is the highest Kirchdorf Austria and, somewhat higher on the road to Timmelsjoch located ( 2,150 meters), the hotel village Hochgurgl, both, like the places around Sölden, major ski areas ( altitude of the ski area of 1,800 m to 3,080 m). Obergurgl is also the location of the University Centre Obergurgl, a conference and events center at the University of Innsbruck.

Alfred Hitchcock made his second in 1926, now considered to be lost movie The Mountain Eagle in Obergurgl. A greater awareness brought Obergurgl the emergency landing of stratospheric balloons in the Swiss physicist and explorer Auguste Piccard on 27 May 1931 on the Gurgler addition. Piccard in honor of a monument was erected in 1989 in Obergurgl, reminiscent of this landing.

Hochgurgl

Hochgurgl at 2,150 meters above sea level is a hotel complex on the road to Timmelsjoch. The ski resort of Hochgurgl is connected with that in Obergurgl by a cable car. From the highest point of the ski, the 3082 m high Wurmkogel, you have a comprehensive view of the mountains North and South Tyrol.

→ Main article: Gurgl

Demographics

History

The high pastures of the rearmost Inner Ötztal have been visited in the Stone Age hunters and shepherds, as well as the discovery of the Iceman showed. They came from the south across the main Alpine ridge and began about 4500 BC by slashing and burning at the tree line to increase the usable pastures. The Innerötztal was originally only used as pasture by the Vinschgau. The gradual settlement activity from the south coined numerous Romansh place names, especially in the Venter Tal, and in intra- ötztaler Romanesque dialect expressions have been preserved until today.

The place name derives from Sölden " selda " which means as much as the smallest rural property size decreases. Sölden was first mentioned in 1150 in a document as Seldon. Sölden 1811 formed one of ten and Law Societies of the Court of Peter Berg, who in 1817 declared the political community. 1854 was the village of Vent, belonging to 1826 to the court Kastelbell Venosta, incorporated. In 1923, the remaining community in Austria proportion of Schnals village of Sölden.

Livelihood of the residents was to gradual onset of tourism mainly livestock and trade across the Timmelsjoch and Hochjoch.

Sölden, Vent Gurgl and were collected in 1891 into independent parishes.

Mid-19th century it came with the construction of shelters and trails, funded by the " glacier priest " Franz Senn, to a first tourist development. The expansion of the winter sports center began in 1948 with the first lifts, where 1975 and 1981 was followed by the development of the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach.

Cable car accident in Sölden

On 5 September 2005, a helicopter lost a concrete bucket, which hit the Black - cutting station 1 on the rope. Through the vibrations crashed a gondola in two other, the discs were taken out of the anchorage. By this misfortune nine people were killed and six other people injured, some seriously.

Culture and sights

• Catholic Parish Church of the Visitation in Sölden Rettenbachferner
• Catholic Parish Church of St.. John of Nepomuk and St.. Paul in Obergurgl
• Catholic Parish Church of St.. James in Vent
• Kaplaneikirche to cross discovery in Holy Cross
• Chapel St.. Theresa in Rofen
• Chapel St.. Sebastian in Winterstall
• Chapel Mariahilf Zwieselstein
• Monument to Martin Scheiber (1856-1939), pioneer of Austrian tourism in Obergurgl, by sculptor Karl Obleitner

Economy and infrastructure

Tourism

Tourism, in particular, winter tourism, is the dominant economic factor in the village of Sölden. Until the 1970 summer tourism played next to the winter tourism a more significant role, with the opening up of the glaciers and the subsequent expansion of the winter ski lost the summer increasingly important. An exception to this is the part of the municipality Sölden mountain village Vent in the summer tourism continues to play an important role. Since the turn of the millennium is also tried in Sölden and Obergurgl to revive the ailing new summer tourism. Other important economic factors are some craft and service companies, most of which are, however, directly dependent on the winter tourism.

Tourist infrastructure in winter

The Sölden ski area, which also includes two glacier ( Rettenbachferner and Tiefenbachferner ) belong, has 39 ski lifts and 146 kilometers of slopes. The main part of the area is located at an altitude of over 2,000 m and reached in three places a height of over 3,000 m (BIG 3). The highest attainable by lift point is located at 3,250 m altitude. Furthermore, an open-air theater and the FIS Ski World Cup takes place on the Rettenbachgletscher held annually, see Alpine Skiing World Cup in Soelden. On Rettenbachgletscher on 5 September 2005, a tragic cable car accident in which nine people by a by a helicopter flying over falling concrete buckets killed occurred. In 2010, the largest artificial storage pond for snowmaking systems Tyrol was with the deep 17 meters, 416 500 m³ comprehensive " Panoramasee " put into operation.

Tourist infrastructure at a glance ( Sölden ):

• 39 cable cars ( 1377-3250 m)
• 148.3 km of slopes (of which 61.5 km blue, red 58.3 km and 31.1 km black run, as well as 6 km of ski trails )
• Three cross-country skiing (16 km)
• Illuminated toboggan run
• Lighted ice rink
• Swimming pool, tennis club, sports arena
• 38 huts
• 2 fun parks ( Tiefenbach / Giggijoch )

Tourist infrastructure at a glance ( Obergurgl / Hochgurgl ):

• 23 cable cars ( 1800-3080 meters)
• 110 km of slopes ( of which 35 km are blue, 55 km red and 20 km of black pistes, ski routes )
• 36 km cross-country ski
• Lighted ice rink

Tourist infrastructure at a glance ( Vent):

• 4 cable cars ( from 1900 m to 2680 m)
• 15 km of slopes (including 5 km of blue, 10 km red, ski routes )
• 4 km cross-country ski

Tourist infrastructure in summer

Summer tourism in Sölden is mostly by hiking and high alpine mountaineering. Besides the numerous pastures, there are 16 alpine huts, mostly belong sections of the German Alpine Club.

Tourist infrastructure at a glance:

• 300 km walking
• Bike trails ( forest roads )
• Via Ferrata, climbing
• Tennis court, indoor swimming pool

Agriculture

Agriculture is dominated by small-scale, mostly operated as a sideline cattle and sheep. Furthermore, in recent years the horse-breeding, mainly Haflinger, gained in importance.

Projects

TIWAG plans to source water for the expansion of Gepatsch memory previously untreated torrents Venter Ache, Ache Gurgler and the Ferwall and the king Bach to accumulate and dissipate in Obergurgl. The WWF assessed the projects on the basis of the criteria catalog of the Federal Environment Ministry as " ecologically devastating" and several environmental organizations pointed out that the statement submitted by TIWAG water management master plan according to the law should target only the protection and restoration of rivers, but not on their energy useful.

Policy

Parish council

The council consists of 15 members and has been working for the municipal elections in 2010, mandates the following parties together:

• 5 list with Ernst scoop - provides the Mayor
• 3 List of peasant village of Sölden
• 2 Economic Development and Tourism
• 2 Giovanni's civil list
• 2 Together for Sölden - the generation list
• 1 Future list

Mayor

The mayor is vested by Ernst Georg scoop from the "List of Ernst scoop ".

Coat of arms

Blazon: In a split of silver and red shield a Gothic church on the split line in confused colors with the tower in a silver field. From the upper edge of two fallen red and silver lace half with one church in confused colors.

The three churches in 1960 conferred crest represent the three parishes of the municipality ( Sölden, Gurgl, Vent). The notches in the background are a symbol of the prehistoric transitions ( yokes ) to South Tyrol.