Wattens is a market town with 8010 inhabitants (as of January 1,
2020) in the Tyrolean district of Innsbruck-Land and the
headquarters of the Swarovski crystal company. The municipality is
located in the judicial district of Hall in Tirol. Wattens is
located in the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley, south of the Inn, about 13
km east of Innsbruck. Part of the Wattental, which leads into the
Wattentaler Lizum, also belongs to the municipality.
As a
grave find from the Laurentiuskirche and several individual finds
show, Wattens and the surrounding communities were already settled
in the Late Bronze Age (approx. 12th century BC). From the 5th
century, the Latène period and the Fritzens-Sanzeno culture are
documented with the settlement and the burnt offering place in the
corridor Himmelreich. The settlement went towards the end of the 2nd
century BC. By a major fire under.
Newly discovered
settlement finds and a coin treasure from a manor from the Roman
Empire on the grounds of the Crystal Worlds date from the 3rd
century.
Wattens was first mentioned in a document in the
years 930/31 as "Vuattanes". The paper mill built in 1559 is
considered the oldest in North Tyrol. Another economic boom took
place with the settlement of Swarovski in 1895, which led to a
strong development of the settlements and greatly changed the former
farming community.
Swarovski Kristallwelten, Kristallweltenstrasse 1,
6112 Wattens, Austria. For the centenary of Swarovski’s company, the
Austrian artist André Heller built the illusionistic world of glass
in 1995 on an artificial hill at the eastern end of the town.
Cultural programs like “Music in the Giant” or offers like the
“RiesenKinderSpiel” for the youngest visitors make the Crystal
Worlds a pulsating center.
Laurentiuskirche. The church in the
center of Wattens dates back to Roman times and was first mentioned
in a document in 1318. The present church was rebuilt after several
fires and consecrated in 1820.
Rätersiedlung Himmelreich. The
Rätersiedlung is located on a hilltop between Wattens and Volders.
On the settlement area enclosed by a ring wall, the foundations of
five buildings can be viewed, which probably represented the heap of
a Rhaetian aristocrat. He was from the 4th to the 1st century.
inhabited before Christ and was destroyed by fire. The open-air
museum can be reached in about 15 minutes on foot and is freely
accessible.
Museums
Local history and industry museum. The
museum offers an insight into the past and present of the
communities of Wattens and Volders. It contains the finds from the
Rätersiedlung Himmelreich as well as urns with extensive grave goods
from 431 graves of the Volderer urn field.
Typewriter Museum. The
museum shows over 450 fully functional models from the development
of the typewriter. They cover the period from 1884 to the present
day and offer interesting insights into the history of the
development of the typewriter. Sectional models provide an insight
into the function.
Cultural events
Music in the giant.
Chamber music in the Swarovski Crystal Worlds.
Tyrolean fairy
tale and legends festival. Famous fairy tales and old legends from
and around Tyrol are staged in a funny and modern way at the legend
and fairy tale festival.
Activities
To go biking
The
well-known Inn cycle path from Innsbruck to Passau passes in the
immediate vicinity, and there are several tours available especially
for mountain bikers. These range from leisurely cycle routes to
challenging mountain slopes.
Hike
in Tyrol's largest
nature park, the Karwendel Alpine Park. There are routes of
different lengths and degrees of difficulty available. The best
known are:
Way of St. James/ Jakobsweg
Eagle Walk/ Adlerweg
Historical circular hiking trail/ Historischer Rundwanderweg
Climb
The 10 km long Halltal, which leads
from the Inntal into the Karwendel, is the ideal starting point for
all kinds of climbing tours. With seven climbing gardens, the
Alpenverein Hall offers ideal climbing conditions. The classic
routes are of difficulty level 6, a few easier routes are 4 and 5
also available. If you want to get to know the extreme side, you can
try routes in the upper 8 and 9 range.