Tux, Austria
Encyclopedia
Tux is a municipality
in the Schwaz
district of Tyrol
, Austria
.
, a side valley
of the Zillertal
that branches off at Mayrhofen
. The territory of the parish extends to the glaciated peak of Olperer
and the high saddle of the Tuxer Joch
, a crossing between the Zillertal and Wipptal
valleys that was heavily used even in the protohistoric period. Other prominent peaks within the municipality are the high Gefrorene Wand Spitze
and the high Hoher Riffler
. The highest farmsteads lie at a height of .
On 25 January 2005 the state government renamed Lanersbach to Tux because, although the municipality as a whole was called Tux, there was no actual village with the name.
and Innsbruck
.
From Vorderlanersbach there is a single-cable gondola lift
to the Rastkogel skiing area, which in turn is linked to the nearby skiing areas of Penken
and Eggalm.
In the south of the village at the Höllenstein Hut (about ), a small farm museum has been established.
A cable lift leads to the Eggalm ski and hiking area.
(one of the most popular summer skiing regions in Austria), and is surrounded by mountains and glaciers. It consists of hotels, guest houses and scattered farmhouses. The Church of the Assumption (Kirche Maria Himmelfahrt) was completed in 1952 on the site of a previous one that had been blown up in 1941.
In Hintertux are the highest thermal baths in Europe, with their various mineral springs. In the immediate vicinity of the Spannagelhaus lies the Spannagel Cave
, that is over 10 km long and the largest natural cave in the Austrian Central Alps. The cave is under a preservation order and may only be visited as part of a guided tour.
At the Tuxer Ferner glacier is an all-season skiing area with a large number of lifts. The place is the base for many walks and high Alpine tours. The Hintertux Glacier Ski Region (Skigebiet Hintertuxer Gletscher) belongs to the Zillertal 3000 ski region and is a popular with skiers in summer as well as winter.
Hintertux has a population of 178 (as at: 2006). Until 1926 it belonged to the parish of Schmirn
am Brenner.
, Hippach
, Kolsassberg
, Navis
, Schmirn
, Schwendau
, Wattenberg
, Weerberg
The Tuxer valley was discovered in prehistoric times as evinced by various finds from the middle Stone Age
. The first settlers in the valley were probably Breuni, who came from the Raeti
tribe and settled in the Wipptal
.
Shepherds and miners also settled the valley, migrating over the Tuxer Joch from the Schmirn
valley and cultivating it by clearing forests. In 889 the Tux valley, along with other parts of the Zillertal, went to the Archdiocese of Salzburg
. In 1280 the name Tux (Tukkes) was first mentioned in the records. Originally referring to pure water, the term was adopted as the name of the valley. It is probably derived from the Indo-Germanic root, teg, which means "running, "flowing" or "melting away". The first farms were of the Schwaighof type and had to pay their taxes in kind e.g. in livestock.
The remotest valley between Lanersbach and Hintertux was, until 1438, a fief of the court of Matrei am Brenner
and later Steinach am Brenner
. Until 1926 Hintertux belonged to the parish of Schmirn
. In 1926 Hintertux merged with Lanersbach and the mining office of Lämperbichl (Hauptmannschaft Lämperbichl) to form the parish of Tux.
. Special cableways for workers and materiel linked the factory with Lanersbach and the loading station in the Zillertal near Mayrhofen
. On the Schrofenalm, about 500 m away from the factory, was a small settlement with accommodation, a school, a grocer's shop, a cinema and other facilities for factory employees and their families. When the factory closed in 1976 it was completely demolished and the area renaturalised. All that remains are St. Barbara's Chapel, built in 1947 based on plans by Hubert Prachensky with frescoes by Max Weiler, and two former worker's houses, the Schrofenhäuser.
Within the Tux valley there is a free bus service - the Tuxer Sportbus - that runs during the day between Vorderlanersbach and Hintertux. In the winter months there is also a fare-charging Nightliner bus until 2 a.m.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Schwaz
Schwaz (district)
The Bezirk Schwaz is an administrative district in Tyrol, Austria. It borders Bavaria in the north, the districts of Kufstein, Kitzbühel and Pinzgau in the east, South Tyrol in the south, and the Innsbruck-Land district in the west.Area of the district is 1,843.20 km², with a population of...
district of Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Geography
The parish of Tux covers the higher and largest part of the TuxertalTuxertal
The Tuxertal lies in Tyrol, Austria and is a side valley of the Zillertal, from which it branches at Mayrhofen. It is about 13 km long and accessible on the Tux Road . From Mayrhofen to Hintertux in the municipality of Tux, the village that gives the valley its name, there is a height...
, a side valley
Side valley
The terms side valley and tributary valley refer to valleys whose brook or river is confluent to a greater one.Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from those nearest to the source of the river...
of the Zillertal
Zillertal
The Zillertal is the biggest valley branching off the Inn valley in Tyrol, Austria drained by the river Ziller. It is surrounded by the strongly glaciated Zillertal Alps to the south and east, the lower grass peaks of the Kitzbühel Alps to the east and Tux Alps to the west...
that branches off at Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen
- Twin towns : Chur, Switzerland Bad Tölz, Germany Bad Homburg, Germany Terracina, Italy Cabourg, France Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg- Transport :Mayrhofen has one railway station, which is located next to the Zillertaler Bundestrasse. The station is a terminus for all Train services operated by the...
. The territory of the parish extends to the glaciated peak of Olperer
Olperer
The Olperer is a 3,476 metre high mountain in the Zillertal Alps in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It is the main summit on the Tux Crest and is often crossed in the summer as climbers transit from the Olperer Hut to the Geraer Hut. It was first climbed on 10 September 1867 along the...
and the high saddle of the Tuxer Joch
Tuxer Joch
The Tuxer Joch is a mountain pass in the Zillertal Alps at a height of that links the lower Zillertal valley with the Brenner route just north of the Brenner Pass. To the northeast just below the summit lies the Tuxer Joch-Haus.- History :...
, a crossing between the Zillertal and Wipptal
Wipptal
The Wipptal is a valley extending along the Sill River southward from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, where the Sill meets the larger Inn river, up to the Brenner Pass at the Austro-Italian border, one of the lowest passes across the Central Eastern Alps...
valleys that was heavily used even in the protohistoric period. Other prominent peaks within the municipality are the high Gefrorene Wand Spitze
Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen
The Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen are two summits on the Tux Crest , a mountain chain in the Zillertal Alps, one of the ranges of the central Eastern Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The north summit is recorded as 3,286 metres high in the literature, but is 3,288 metres high according to the Federal...
and the high Hoher Riffler
Hoher Riffler (Zillertal Alps)
The Hoher Riffler is a 3,231 metre high mountain in the Zillertal Alps, on the eastern part of the main chain of the Tux , in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The peak is firn-covered on its northern side, but from the south it looks like a rocky summit...
. The highest farmsteads lie at a height of .
Other villages
Tux consists of the five villages of Vorderlanersbach, Lanersbach, Juns, Madseit and Hintertux.On 25 January 2005 the state government renamed Lanersbach to Tux because, although the municipality as a whole was called Tux, there was no actual village with the name.
Vorderlanersbach (Tux)
Vorderlanersbach is the first village along the road from Finkenberg. On the mountainside above lie the hamlets of Schöneben and Gemais. The farming settlement of Gemais at was placed under conservation protection as it has a historical coherence and unity of architectural style that date back to the 17th century. It developed from a former Schwaighof - a type of livestock farm typical of the Alpine region. The high hamlet of Geiseljoch lies on the way into the Inn valley that was once a busy trading route to the markets in Hall in TirolHall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn valley, it has a population of about 12,700 .-History:...
and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
.
From Vorderlanersbach there is a single-cable gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
to the Rastkogel skiing area, which in turn is linked to the nearby skiing areas of Penken
Penken
The Penken is a mountain area in the Ziller Valley located in the Austrian Tyrol.The Penken can be reached by modern cable car from the village of Mayrhofen.-Sources:...
and Eggalm.
Lanersbach (Tux)
Lanersbach lies about two kilometres beyond Vorderlanersbach and forms the cultural and business heart of the Tuxertal. Lanersbach is both the seat of the municipality of Tux as well as a church parish that has existed since 1891. The parish church in Lanersbach was built in 1686 in place of an older Gothic church and was converted to the baroque style in 1750.In the south of the village at the Höllenstein Hut (about ), a small farm museum has been established.
A cable lift leads to the Eggalm ski and hiking area.
Juns
Juns is a long drawn out village about 2 km up the valley from Lanersbach. It comprises several small hotels and private homes. There is a show mill worth seeing here that used to grind the barley corn grown here right up until just a few decades ago. Two toboggan runs descend from the Höhlenstein Hut and the alpine pasture of Grieralm, both roughly 5 km long, ending in Juns. The runs are lit and can be used in the evening.Madseit
Madseit lies beyond the village of Juns and is a small settlement with several hotels, boarding houses and private homes. The valley narrows then behind the little hamlet, at the confluence of the Madseitbach and the Tuxerbach.Hintertux
Hintertux lies furthest up the valley at the foot of the Hintertux GlacierHintertux Glacier
The Hintertux Glacier is the tourist name for the glaciers of the Gefrorene-Wand-Kees, also called the Tuxer Ferner, and the nearby Riepenkees at the top of the Tuxertal, a side valley of the Zillertal in the Austrian state of Tyrol...
(one of the most popular summer skiing regions in Austria), and is surrounded by mountains and glaciers. It consists of hotels, guest houses and scattered farmhouses. The Church of the Assumption (Kirche Maria Himmelfahrt) was completed in 1952 on the site of a previous one that had been blown up in 1941.
In Hintertux are the highest thermal baths in Europe, with their various mineral springs. In the immediate vicinity of the Spannagelhaus lies the Spannagel Cave
Spannagel Cave
The Spannagel Cave is a show cave near Hintertux, in the Zillertal Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Currently about 10 kilometres of cave have been discovered; guided tours enable access to 500 metres of the cave. Its entrance lies below the Spannagelhaus , a mountain hut run by the Austrian...
, that is over 10 km long and the largest natural cave in the Austrian Central Alps. The cave is under a preservation order and may only be visited as part of a guided tour.
At the Tuxer Ferner glacier is an all-season skiing area with a large number of lifts. The place is the base for many walks and high Alpine tours. The Hintertux Glacier Ski Region (Skigebiet Hintertuxer Gletscher) belongs to the Zillertal 3000 ski region and is a popular with skiers in summer as well as winter.
Hintertux has a population of 178 (as at: 2006). Until 1926 it belonged to the parish of Schmirn
Schmirn
Schmirn is a municipality of 890 inhabitants , has an area of 62,7 kmq and an elevation of 1407 m. -Geography:Schmirn is located in the District Innsbruck-Land at 25 km southeast of Innsbruck, situated in the homonymous valley that branches off from Wipptal, at the village of Sankt Jodok until to...
am Brenner.
Neighbouring parishes
FinkenbergFinkenberg
Finkenberg is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
, Hippach
Hippach
Hippach is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
, Kolsassberg
Kolsassberg
Kolsassberg is a municipality in the district Innsbruck-Land and is located approximately 19 km east of Innsbruck and 2 km above Kolsass. The location was founded around 1196 and possesses 753 inhabitants.-External links:...
, Navis
Navis
Navis is a municipality in the district Innsbruck-Land and is located 19 km southeast of Innsbruck in a valley with the same name which is a side valley of the Wipptal. The extensive territory of this municipality runs from the Sill up to the 2,359 m high Klammjoch saddle and the 2,886 m high...
, Schmirn
Schmirn
Schmirn is a municipality of 890 inhabitants , has an area of 62,7 kmq and an elevation of 1407 m. -Geography:Schmirn is located in the District Innsbruck-Land at 25 km southeast of Innsbruck, situated in the homonymous valley that branches off from Wipptal, at the village of Sankt Jodok until to...
, Schwendau
Schwendau
Schwendau is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
, Wattenberg
Wattenberg
Wattenberg is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located 15 km east of Innsbruck and 2.50 km above the Swarovski Crystal Town Wattens.-External links:* Municipality Wattenberg: Official website of the municipality in the...
, Weerberg
Weerberg
Weerberg is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria.Important peaks in the parish territory are the 2,762 m high Rastkogel and the 2,506 m high Gilfert, both in the Tux Alps....
History
The Tuxer valley was first mentioned in the records in 1280.The Tuxer valley was discovered in prehistoric times as evinced by various finds from the middle Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. The first settlers in the valley were probably Breuni, who came from the Raeti
Raeti
The Raeti was the collective "ethnic" name used by the ancient Romans to denote a number of Alpine tribes, whose language and culture may have derived, at least in part, from the Etruscans. From not later than ca...
tribe and settled in the Wipptal
Wipptal
The Wipptal is a valley extending along the Sill River southward from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, where the Sill meets the larger Inn river, up to the Brenner Pass at the Austro-Italian border, one of the lowest passes across the Central Eastern Alps...
.
Shepherds and miners also settled the valley, migrating over the Tuxer Joch from the Schmirn
Schmirn
Schmirn is a municipality of 890 inhabitants , has an area of 62,7 kmq and an elevation of 1407 m. -Geography:Schmirn is located in the District Innsbruck-Land at 25 km southeast of Innsbruck, situated in the homonymous valley that branches off from Wipptal, at the village of Sankt Jodok until to...
valley and cultivating it by clearing forests. In 889 the Tux valley, along with other parts of the Zillertal, went to the Archdiocese of Salzburg
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdiocese of Vienna....
. In 1280 the name Tux (Tukkes) was first mentioned in the records. Originally referring to pure water, the term was adopted as the name of the valley. It is probably derived from the Indo-Germanic root, teg, which means "running, "flowing" or "melting away". The first farms were of the Schwaighof type and had to pay their taxes in kind e.g. in livestock.
The remotest valley between Lanersbach and Hintertux was, until 1438, a fief of the court of Matrei am Brenner
Matrei am Brenner
Matrei am Brenner is a small municipality in the southern part of the District Innsbruck-Land and is located approximately 17 km south of Innsbruck. Matrei has always been an important station for commerce. The village has 902 inhabitants , at 992 m...
and later Steinach am Brenner
Steinach am Brenner
Steinach am Brenner is a market town in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located south of Innsbruck in the Wipptal at the Sill River. It has 3340 inhabitants.-Geography:...
. Until 1926 Hintertux belonged to the parish of Schmirn
Schmirn
Schmirn is a municipality of 890 inhabitants , has an area of 62,7 kmq and an elevation of 1407 m. -Geography:Schmirn is located in the District Innsbruck-Land at 25 km southeast of Innsbruck, situated in the homonymous valley that branches off from Wipptal, at the village of Sankt Jodok until to...
. In 1926 Hintertux merged with Lanersbach and the mining office of Lämperbichl (Hauptmannschaft Lämperbichl) to form the parish of Tux.
Agriculture
The meadows and alpine pastures in the Tux valley continue to be cultivated even today, albeit most farms only provide a secondary source of income.Tourism
Tourism is the most important branch of the economy in the valley today with numerous hotels, restaurants and accommodation providers being established here. Three ski regions have been opened up for the ski tourism industry: the first was the Eggalm region in 1961; it was joined in 1968 by the Hintertux Glacier and from 1984 by the Rastkogel, which has been linked to the Penken Ski Region since 2001 by a shuttle lift. During the 2000s the capacity of the lift infrastructure was massively increased. The Hintertux Glacier was operated as an all-year skiing area from the outset. Just as important for the region is the merger of the Tux ski regions with those in the direction of Finkenberg and Mayrhofen (Penken). After Mayrhofen, Tux has the second-highest number of overnight guests in the Zillertal.Magnesite factory
From 1927 to 1976 the Tux Magnesite Mine, about 500 m above Vorderlanersbach, was the highest of its kind in Europe. Using open-cast and underground mining up to 400 workers mined magnesiteMagnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron substitutes for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts...
. Special cableways for workers and materiel linked the factory with Lanersbach and the loading station in the Zillertal near Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen
- Twin towns : Chur, Switzerland Bad Tölz, Germany Bad Homburg, Germany Terracina, Italy Cabourg, France Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg- Transport :Mayrhofen has one railway station, which is located next to the Zillertaler Bundestrasse. The station is a terminus for all Train services operated by the...
. On the Schrofenalm, about 500 m away from the factory, was a small settlement with accommodation, a school, a grocer's shop, a cinema and other facilities for factory employees and their families. When the factory closed in 1976 it was completely demolished and the area renaturalised. All that remains are St. Barbara's Chapel, built in 1947 based on plans by Hubert Prachensky with frescoes by Max Weiler, and two former worker's houses, the Schrofenhäuser.
Transport
Tux is accessible from Mayrhofen by road. From Mayrhofen station on the Ziller Valley Railway there is a bus service. The nearest Austrian Federal Railway station is at Jenbach, which is also the departure station for the Ziller Valley Railway.Within the Tux valley there is a free bus service - the Tuxer Sportbus - that runs during the day between Vorderlanersbach and Hintertux. In the winter months there is also a fare-charging Nightliner bus until 2 a.m.