Kaunertal

The municipality of Kaunertal is located in the homonymous valley, branching off from the Oberinntal valley.

Altitude: 1,287 m asl

The municipality of Kaunertal with its 600 souls includes the component localities Platz, Kaltenbrunn, Nufels, Loch, Boden, Vergötschen, Feichten, Unterhäuser, Mühlbach, Bödele, Ögg, Grasse and Wolfskehr. Located at 1,287 m asl, Feichten represents the chief city of the municipality. With the establishment of the 6 km long artificial lake Gepatschspeicher at the beginning of the 60s, the area experienced an economic boost. Today the Kaunertal valley is a protected area.

In the village and the homonymous valley, there are several worthwhile destinations such as the toll Kaunertal Glacier Road, starting right behind Feichten. It snakes up to the glacier of the Weissseeferner at 2,750 m asl and offers breathtaking views. While in summer this road is particularly popular with motor bikers, in other seasons the Kaunertal Glacier is particularly popular with skiers and snowboarders, as it is a whole-year round skiing area with only a short time-out in summer. Moreover at Feichten the Verpeiltal valley branches off, which is a high alpine valley in which also the Verpeilhütte mountain refuge is located. This hut was established in 1906 and can be reached from Feichten in a two-hours’ walk via a road way or a fixed rope route. In winter the Verpeiltal valley is particularly popular with ice climbers.

Also worth to be visited is the pilgrimage church of Kaltenbrunn, located in the anterior part of the Kaunertal valley at 1,260 m asl. According to tradition, this little chapel has been established in the 13th century by the knight Erbo Schenkenberg as penance for a murder. A miraculous image dating back to the 14th century made this place a pilgrimage site for landsknechts. Today the pilgrimage church is a popular destination for hikers who appreciate the calm prevailing in this area. What is particularly interesting: the emblem of the village reunites the most important components of the valley. The blue wave stands for Lake Gepatschspeicher, the spiky form of the wave reminds on the presence of ibexes in the nature park while the golden star stands for the Kaltenbrunn pilgrimage church.

Our recommendation: in the locality Platz the valley museum presents exhibits regarding life in this area, such as items of ancient economy forms and life in gereral, and a mineral collection as well as the transportable atelier of a shoemaker journeyman…