of Mayrhofen is one of the main holiday resorts in the Tyrol, wholly geared up for summer and winter tourism to suit all tastes and budgets. However, development came late to Mayrhofen, as it is located some 50km up a dead-end valley in the middle of nowhere, isolated from the main communication links of the Inn valley. While the Romans showed interest, and various wandering tribes came and went, the problems of access for trade always made it difficult for settlements to establish themselves in the valley.
Named after a few farms at the head of the valley, Mayrhofen started to feature in rural affairs at the start of the 18th century, mainly in relation to farming and as a good place to hunt and collect minerals. This isolation was no defence during the Napolenic wars of 1809, and the Zillertal menfolk picked up their arms and opted to fight for Tyrolean independence against the French and Bavarians with the folklore hero Andreas Hofer. Sadly this fight was lost and resulted in the Tyrol being ruled by the Bavarians for the next few years. By 1816 Napoleon had been defeated. The Tyrol was handed back to its rightful owners, with all the provinces united under the Royal Household of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
With the war over, almost another 50 years would pass before tourism and mountain wandering became part of the local economy with the establishment of the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) in 1862 and the opening of the Berliner Hut in 1879. Construction of the railway in 1902, which was built initially to support forestry and the transportation of minerals and magnesite ore from the lucrative mines of Hintertux, opened up the Zillertal valley immensely. Since then Mayrhofen has grown steadily through the wealth created by the Zillertal valley from agriculture, farming and forestry – but above all through tourism.
Activities for poor weather days
Mayrhofen, and the Zillertal in general, can be a rather miserable place should you be unfortunate enough to have indifferent weather, for the clouds just swirl around and refuse to budge from the peaks. Local lore has it that if the Ahorn Sptize has a raised hat, the weather will be good; if the hat is pulled down over his ears, the weather will be bad!
To help keep you entertained, particularly if you have children with you, here are some suggestions for what to do (other than the normal theme park activities) in poor weather.
Rattenberg This small, delightful medieval town with timber-framed quirky buildings and cobbled streets is famous for handmade glass. Take the train to Jenbach then the local bus service to Brixlegg and Rattenberg.
Schwaz (medieval silver mine) Take the train to Jenbach, then the regional train heading to Innsbruck, and get off at Schwaz; thereafter it’s a short walk to the visitor centre (see www.silberbergwerk.at).
Zillerbach River (white-water rafting) Great in the rain when the Zillerbach river is in flood; reservation offices in Mayrhofen.
Klettersteige It needs to be dry, but anyone armed with climbing tackle may find some consolation in indifferent weather by trying the Klettersteige (via ferrata-type protected climbing routes) that start near Gasthof Zillertal, not far from Mayrhofen railway station on the west side of the river.
Innsbruck Capital city of the province of Tyrol, named after the river on which it stands, overlooked by the Karwendel group of mountains and made famous as a centre for winter Olympics sports. The city is well worth a visit in its own right – particularly for the Old City (Alte Stadt), but also for the OeAV Alpenvereins Museum (open Monday to Saturday during normal business hours). Located within the Hofburg Imperial Palace in the Old Town, it has many fine exhibits from alpinism’s golden era, perhaps the most notable being memorabilia of Hermann Buehl’s ascent of Nanga Parbat in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan.
Take the train to Jenbach followed by the regional train to Innsbruck. It is a 10min walk from the railway station (Hauptbahnhof) to the Old City.
Out and about in Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen Haupt Strasse (high street)
See the street map (above) for the location of the railway and bus station, tourist information office and post office. Useful websites include www.mayrhofen.at and www.zillertal.at.
Bus services
The following times are for the local post bus service that leaves from Mayrhofen’s combined train and bus station.
Mayrhofen to Ginzling/Breitlahner/Schlegeis
06.40/07.55/09.25/11.25/13.25/15.25/16.55/17.55
Schlegeis to Mayrhofen
09.35/10.35/13.55/15.35/16.35/17.55
Breitlahner to Mayrhofen
09.55/10.55/14.15/15.55/16.35/18.15
Ginzling to Mayrhofen
10.10/11.10/14.30/16.10/17.10/18.30
Tourist offices
The main Tourist Information Office and conference centre, the Europahaus, is located near the railway station on Durster Strasse. There are also satellite tourist offices in the town (see Appendix B for full contact details).
Post office and mail
The post office in Mayrhofen is located just off the main street in the centre of town (see street map, above), and has fax, internet and money-exchange facilities. The post office is open Monday to Friday from 08.00 to 12.00, then 14.00 to 18.00.
At huts postcards can be purchased and mailed from the hut’s post box. The mail is then taken down to the valley, usually once a week and deposited at the main post office. Not surprisingly, post to UK can take 10–20 days.
Places to leave luggage
There is a left-luggage facility at the combined bus and railway station, which is open Monday to Saturday 08.00 to 18.00. Alternatively, should you be staying at one of the hotels, most hoteliers are quite happy to store luggage until you return.
Peter Habeler’s office (mountain guides)
The services of a professional mountain guide can be hired via Peter Habeler’s office on Mayrhofen’s main high street (Haupt Strasse). See Appendix B for more information or contact www.bergfuehrer-zillertal.at.
Trekking with children
A family from London trekking in the Zillertal with children aged 12 and 8, still smiling!
How suitable is hut-to-hut touring for children? The Austrian Alpine Club actively encourages children to participate in mountain activities, and most children love visiting the various huts and the sense of freedom it gives them. Children need to be fit, but if they are capable of ascending Ben Nevis, Snowdon or the round of Helvellyn then they will surely enjoy some of these tours. The author’s daughter traversed the entire length of the ZRR and climbed several peaks along the way when she was 14 years old, and children as young as eight have undertaken the majority of the tour. However, the ZSTT is not really suitable for children under 15 years.
But only parents can decide, since some of the
