Windautal
Encyclopedia
The Windautal is a southern side valley
of the Tyrolean Brixental
in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria
with a length of about 16 km.
The valley is lies almost entirely within the territory of the parish of Westendorf; only its northernmost part lies in Hopfgarten
. To the south the valley borders on the state of Salzburg. To the north - near Hopfgarten
(623 m) - the Windautal and Brixental
valleys merge. The stream of the Windauer Ache
flows through the Windau and discharges into the Brixentaler Ache
.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, copper
, galena
and pyrites were mined in the valley.
The Windautal is a popular recreation area and a particularly good for ski tours, hiking, mountain biking and cycling. The Windauer Ache is also popular with whitewater canoeists (grade WW II to WW V).
The southern part of the valley is only accessible by car over a toll road (partly unmetalled) and is very sparsely settled.
The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway
runs along the slopes and through several tunnels of the lower (northern) Windautal, where, in the middle of a curve, a bridge spans the valley. On the northeastern perimeter of the valley is the halt of "Windau". This so-called Windauer Schleife ("Windau Curve"), which is used to gain height in the valley and is very scenic, is a popular photographic theme with railway photographers.
The landscape of the valley is characterised by wooded mountains and numerous alpine meadows (Almen). Above the tree line the open slopes are used as grazing pasture for sheep, goats, cows and horses.
The Windau is surrounded by a large number of peaks, most of them over 2,000 metres high. Important mountains are the Steinbergstein
(2,215 m), the Kröndlhorn
(2,444 m) and the Brechhorn
(2,032 m).
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 Tyrolean Brixental
Brixental
The Brixental is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km. Near Wörgl the Brixental and Inn valleys meet...
in the Kitzbühel Alps in 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...
with a length of about 16 km.
The valley is lies almost entirely within the territory of the parish of Westendorf; only its northernmost part lies in Hopfgarten
Hopfgarten im Brixental
Hopfgarten im Brixental is a market town in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located at an elevation of 622 m above sea level. With an area of 166.57 km² it is the largest municipality in the district, and among the largest in Tyrol....
. To the south the valley borders on the state of Salzburg. To the north - near Hopfgarten
Hopfgarten im Brixental
Hopfgarten im Brixental is a market town in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located at an elevation of 622 m above sea level. With an area of 166.57 km² it is the largest municipality in the district, and among the largest in Tyrol....
(623 m) - the Windautal and Brixental
Brixental
The Brixental is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km. Near Wörgl the Brixental and Inn valleys meet...
valleys merge. The stream of the Windauer Ache
Windauer Ache
The Windauer Ache is a mountain stream in the scenic Windautal valley in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria.The Ache rises on the Rainkarsee at about 2,200 m AMSL and its middle reaches run through a roughly 4 km long gorge...
flows through the Windau and discharges into the Brixentaler Ache
Brixentaler Ache
The Brixentaler Ache is a right tributary of the River Inn in Austria. It is located in the state of Tyrol and passes through the districts of Kitzbühel and Kufstein...
.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
and pyrites were mined in the valley.
The Windautal is a popular recreation area and a particularly good for ski tours, hiking, mountain biking and cycling. The Windauer Ache is also popular with whitewater canoeists (grade WW II to WW V).
The southern part of the valley is only accessible by car over a toll road (partly unmetalled) and is very sparsely settled.
The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway
Salzburg-Tyrol Railway
The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway is a main line railway in Austria. It runs through the states of Salzburg and Tyrol from Salzburg to Wörgl and belongs to the core network of the Austrian Federal Railways ....
runs along the slopes and through several tunnels of the lower (northern) Windautal, where, in the middle of a curve, a bridge spans the valley. On the northeastern perimeter of the valley is the halt of "Windau". This so-called Windauer Schleife ("Windau Curve"), which is used to gain height in the valley and is very scenic, is a popular photographic theme with railway photographers.
The landscape of the valley is characterised by wooded mountains and numerous alpine meadows (Almen). Above the tree line the open slopes are used as grazing pasture for sheep, goats, cows and horses.
The Windau is surrounded by a large number of peaks, most of them over 2,000 metres high. Important mountains are the Steinbergstein
Steinbergstein
- Location :The Steinbergstein rises between the valleys of the Windauer Ache and the Kelchsauer Ache. The cirque between the north face of the Steinbergstein, the Ramkarkopf and the Steinberg , which is rich in springs, forms the Steinberggraben stream that empties into the Windauer Ache...
(2,215 m), the Kröndlhorn
Kröndlhorn
The Kröndlhorn is a high mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria. It is one of the highest mountains on the main crest of the Kitzbühel Alps. The state border between Tyrol and Salzburger Land runs over its summit.- Location :...
(2,444 m) and the Brechhorn
Brechhorn
The Brechhorn is a high mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria. It lies between the valleys of the Aschauer Ache and the Windau.- Use :The upper slopes of the mountain are used to some extent as grazing for sheep, goats, cows and horses...
(2,032 m).