Alpbach, Austria is a hamlet in Western Austria in the state of Tyrol known by the name of “The Village Of Thinkers”.The archaic version of the name Alpbach comes from 1150.
Christianity was brought to the area in the 7th and 8th centuries under Irish and Scottish monks, and the patron saint of the parish church is in fact St. Oswald, an erstwhile King of Northumbria.
At the beginning of the 15th century, accumulations of copper and silver were detected on Gratlspitz and Schatzberg and in the Luegergraben. The middle of the 19th century saw productivity at the mines decline to the closing stages. Since 1945, Alpbach has been the host of the Alpbach European Forum, an annual bi-weekly league of leading figures from the worlds of science, business, the arts, and politics. The Forum and the participation of so many people who have forged the thinking of their times have given Alpbach its nickname.
Location – Its geographical placement is 47°24’N,11°57’E, at 975 m above sea level.
Reaching there – Alpbach, Austria is reached by road from the nearest international airport of Innsbruck.
Sightseeing – Vorder-Unterburg Farm, standing at the edge of the forest above the little church in Inneralpbach, is a mountain farming museum, and the displays include the old parlor, chapel, a combined kitchen and smokehouse, and over 800 objects of day-to-day life and work. The new Alpbach Congress Centre opened in 1999, with its collection of interesting architecture and a minimal environmental footprint, the principal architectural dimension being a spiral-shaped gallery with floor-to-ceiling glazing for an incomparable view of the impressive mountain backdrop is a thing to see.
Accommodations – In those days, Alpbach, Austria already had two lodges, the Böglerhof and the Jakober Inn, where the men of the village went to drink spirits, such as schnapps. Starting at the beginning of the 20th century, by 1938 Alpbach, Austria had accommodation for 110 visitors. Alpbach now attracts some 22000 visitors in summer and about the same in winter. Tourism is the main source of income for today’s 2530 local residents, but there are still 105 functioning farms in Alpbach, the same number as 100 years ago.
Other features – Through the years, Alpbach has garnered many awards and distinctions. In 1975, the Austrian Public Health Institute certified that Alpbach had the cleanest and purest air in all of Austria. It was voted “Austria’s Most Beautiful Village” in 1983 by a television contest coordinated by Austrian Television. In June 1985, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg bestowed upon Alpbach the right to fly the European flag in acknowledgment of the community’s helpfulnesses to European Unity. In 1993, Alpbach, Austria won the “The Most Beautiful Floral Village in Europe” award.
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