The Zillertal Valley

Location:
Located in the province of Tirol, the Zillertal Valley branches away from the Inn Valley about 40 km east of Innsbruck. It is the widest southern tributary valley of the Inn Valley and extends from Strass in Zillertal to Mayrhofen, where it splits again into four tributary valleys; Zillergrund, Zemmgrund, Stillupptal and Tuxertal. The Gerlos Valley branches away from Zillertal in an easterly direction from Zell am Ziller.

Villages:
25

Residents:
33,424 (according to Austrian statistics, Census 2001)

Area:
1098 km²

Length
32 kilometres from Strass to Mayrhofen
Incline from Strass to Mayrhofen, circa 100 metres

Subsidiary valleys leading from Mayrhofen
Tuxertal: 17 kilometres
Schlegeis: 29 kilometres
Stillupptal: 8 kilometres
Zillergrund: 16 kilometres

Subsidiary valley leading from Zell am Ziller
Gerlostal: 17 kilometres

Altitude:
550 metres to 3,509 metres above sea level

The „Ziller“ River
Zillertal takes its name from the Ziller River, which flows through the Zillertal Valley from south to north, joining the River Inn at the entrance to the valley in the town of Strass. The Ziller was officially recognized as a border river as early as 285 AD.

Initially, it marked the border between the Roman provinces of Rhaetia and Noricum and, later, between Bavaria and Tirol. Even today it marks the divide between the dioceses of Salzburg and Innsbruck, which is visible to the eye when you know what you are looking for.

The church steeples on the left side of the Ziller are predominantly red and those to the right are green. The green colour arises from the use of copper roof cladding which the (richer) diocese of Salzburg was able to use for their churches. The diocese of Brixen, which became the diocese of Innsbruck after the division of north and south Tirol wasn't as affluent as Salzburg and had to clad their church roofs more economically with red tiles.