Pertisau

Located at the western lakeshore of Lake Achensee, Pertisau borders on the nature reserve Karwendel.

Altitude: 940 m asl

Pertisau, part of the municipality Eben am Achensee, together with Maurach represents the main touristic centre of the Achensee region. From the 15th century to 1918, the Habsburgs used the waters of Lake Achensee for fishing and the forests round the lake for hunting. Especially Maximilian I. was enthusiastic about this area. In the 19th century tourism started booming at the largest lake of Tyrol.

Behind the village (see pic), there are three forested valleys and alpine pastures ascending and changing into the Karwendel mountain chain and its peaks such as the Sonnjoch or the Lamsenspitze mountains. So right behind the village limits, the nature reserve Karwendel begins, offering great hiking trails, fixed rope routes and intact nature. The skiing area Zwölferkopf (1,480 m asl) is reachable by the Karwendel funicular and in summer this area is seat of a paragliding school. Moreover Pertisau is a popular starting and arrival point for shipping at Lake Achensee, which has been existing since 1887. About 2 km from Achensee, there is also a stop of the steam-driven Achensee railway.

In the Bächental valley, since 1908 fossil oil has been extracted out of oil shale and exactly for this reason an entire facility in the village is dedicated to the production of cosmetics and health products. At the “Steinöl Vitalberg” visitors’ centre you can learn more about the extraction of rock oil and the family enterprise Tiroler Steinölwerke Albrecht GmbH & Co. KG, not at least thanks to a cinema hall and Martin’s gallery. Also a cafe and a shop placed in a glass pyramid are part of the “Steinöl Vitalberg”.

Our tip: A ride with the nostalgic Achensee railway, the oldest steam-driven cog-railway of Europe! A great scenic landscape, meadows covered by flowers, the wonderful Tyrolean mountains and a view on Lake Achensee are included…