South of the Alpine City, there’s another one of the Innsbruck holiday villages: Ellbögen with the Viggartal and Arztal valleys
Image gallery: Ellbögen
Altitude: 1,070 m a.s.l.
The municipal area of Ellbögen, which includes the Viggartal and Arztal valleys, extends idyllically to the ridge of the Tux Alps. The sunny slopes of Mt. Patscherkofel were already settled in prehistoric times - in the component locality of St. Peter, for example, an approximately 3,000 year old cemetery was found. Later on, Ellbögen became famous due to its location along the Salt Road from Hall in Tirol to Matrei am Brenner. In the 16th and 17th century, in the Arztal valley ore was exploited, which was also used for the famous "Black Men" statues in the Innsbruck Court Church.
Ellbögen focuses on soft tourism today. The region offers a dense network of hiking and MTB trails, and in the valley the Wipptal Cycle Route leads past the village. Impressive mountain tours take you to Mt. Viggarspitze, Mt. Glungezer and the summit of Mt. Rosenjoch, with 2,770 m a.s.l. the highest mountain in the municipal area. In winter, one of the most popular activities is ski touring, e.g. to the Boscheben Refuge in the Viggartal valley, to the Meissner Mountain Hut or the Ochsenalm Pasture, and to the Arztal Mountain Hut in the eponymous valley.
Among the historical buildings in the village there is the parish church, constructed in 1472 and converted to Baroque style in the 18th century. It is dedicated to St. Peter. Also interesting is the Hinterlocher Mill from 1738 in the Arztal valley: A pleasant walk takes you to the mill, which was restored and turned into a show mill. It shows corn grinding to the public in summer.
