Brixental
Encyclopedia
The Brixental is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km. Near Wörgl
(513 m AMSL) the Brixental and Inn valleys meet. The Brixental had belonged to Salzburg
since 1312 and first joined Tyrol in 1816 when the new European order came into being.
The valley lies in the Kitzbühel Alps and its main river of the valley is the Brixentaler Ache
. Behind a gentle mountain saddle near Brixen im Thale
it reaches the ski resort of Kitzbühel
, which is also the district capital and lies on the federal road (Bundesstraße
) to Salzburg. Since 1875 the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway
has also followed the course of the valley.
The landscape of the Brixental is characterised by smooth, mainly wooded mountains. Two peaks almost reach 2,000 metres in height: the Hohe Salve
(1,828 m, also called "the Rigi of the Tyrol"), visible from a long way off, and the Gampenkogel (1,957 m).
The main settlement is Hopfgarten im Brixental
(623 m), where the valley changes direction by 70°. Other large villages are not found until the upper reaches because, there, the valley floor is wider (see picture): Brixen im Thale
(794 m), where several headstreams unite, and especially Kirchberg in Tirol
(837 m), where the Spertental
joins the Brixental not far from Kitzbühel.
In its lower reaches - between Westendorf and Hopfgarten - the Ache flows through a narrow gorge, through which only the Bundesstraße snakes - the railway line branches away in the so-called Windau bend.
Another narrow section is the gully near the village of Itter.
Its larger side valley
s are (listed from Wörgl upstream):
The catchment area
of the Brixentaler Ache coveres about a third of the district of Kitzbühel, most of which is due to the Windauer
and Kelchsauer Ache tributaries. The Brixentaler Ache discharges into the Inn in Wörgl.
Wörgl
Wörgl is a town in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kufstein district. It is 20 km from the state border with Bavaria.-Transport:Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munich, and the inner-Austrian line to Salzburg...
(513 m AMSL) the Brixental and Inn valleys meet. The Brixental had belonged to Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
since 1312 and first joined Tyrol in 1816 when the new European order came into being.
The valley lies in the Kitzbühel Alps and its main river of the valley is 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...
. Behind a gentle mountain saddle near Brixen im Thale
Brixen im Thale
- Village development :From 2009 to 2010 the village square in front of the community hall was thoroughly renovated and extended. The cobblestones were replaced and the square enlarged and raised. The fountain was moved to a new site, next to the beech tree, which had to stay where it was.Red and...
it reaches the ski resort of Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel
-Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...
, which is also the district capital and lies on the federal road (Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
) to Salzburg. Since 1875 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 ....
has also followed the course of the valley.
The landscape of the Brixental is characterised by smooth, mainly wooded mountains. Two peaks almost reach 2,000 metres in height: the Hohe Salve
Hohe Salve
The Hohe Salve is a well-known mountain located between Kufstein, Wörgl and Kitzbühel in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is part of the Kitzbühel Alps and is also nicknamed the Rigi of the Tyrol. Its summit is high, and in fine weather has a good view of the High Tauern and Zillertal Alps, as well...
(1,828 m, also called "the Rigi of the Tyrol"), visible from a long way off, and the Gampenkogel (1,957 m).
The main settlement is Hopfgarten im Brixental
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), where the valley changes direction by 70°. Other large villages are not found until the upper reaches because, there, the valley floor is wider (see picture): Brixen im Thale
Brixen im Thale
- Village development :From 2009 to 2010 the village square in front of the community hall was thoroughly renovated and extended. The cobblestones were replaced and the square enlarged and raised. The fountain was moved to a new site, next to the beech tree, which had to stay where it was.Red and...
(794 m), where several headstreams unite, and especially Kirchberg in Tirol
Kirchberg in Tirol
Kirchberg in Tirol is a municipality in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located 6 km west of Kitzbühel at an elevation of 837 m above sea level. The population in 2001 was 4,958, on an area of 97,76 km² Kirchberg in Tirol is a municipality in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel...
(837 m), where the Spertental
Spertental
The Spertental is a southern side valley of the Brixental with a length of about 8 km. Near Kirchberg in Tirol it unites with the Brixental....
joins the Brixental not far from Kitzbühel.
In its lower reaches - between Westendorf and Hopfgarten - the Ache flows through a narrow gorge, through which only the Bundesstraße snakes - the railway line branches away in the so-called Windau bend.
Another narrow section is the gully near the village of Itter.
Its larger 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...
s are (listed from Wörgl upstream):
- in the lower reaches the Nasenbachtal from Söll, the Luechertal (near Bruckhäusl) and the Bruggtal (near Gries);
- the Schönbachtal near Hopfgarten and the two long valleys coming from the south, the Kelchsauer Ache and the WindauerWindautalThe 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...
Ache; - in the wide upper reaches (valley width over 1 km) there are initially only small side streams; not until Brixen do the valleys of the headstreams enter: the LauterbachLauterbach-Places:Austria* Lauterbach, Austria, a village in Brixen im Thale in the Kitzbühel MountainsGermany* Lauterbach, Baden-Württemberg in the district of Rottweil* Lauterbach, Hesse in Vogelsberg district* Lauterbach, Thuringia in the district of Wartburgkreis...
, Schleicherbach and Brixenbach. Not far from the saddle towards Kitzbühel the SpertentalSpertentalThe Spertental is a southern side valley of the Brixental with a length of about 8 km. Near Kirchberg in Tirol it unites with the Brixental....
opens up near Kirchberg, although, orographically it drains towards the north.
The catchment area
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Brixentaler Ache coveres about a third of the district of Kitzbühel, most of which is due to the Windauer
Windautal
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...
and Kelchsauer Ache tributaries. The Brixentaler Ache discharges into the Inn in Wörgl.