The first Mountaineering Village in South Tyrol lies in the heart of the Ötztal Alps, below the mighty Weisskugel in the Vinschgau Valley. Matsch is as authentic as an Alpine village could ever be: the village community nurtures lived traditions and also boasts a number of unusual features. One such example is the traditional “Waale” irrigation system in the Vinschgau. Although the Vinschgau is one of the driest areas in the Alps, it features an impressive mosaic of habitat diversity. The dry grassland created by the extreme climate conditions on the sunny slopes are a paradise for rare animal and plant species, sharply contrasted by the numerous “three-thousanders”, most notably the Weisskugel – one of the most magnificent high peaks of the Ötztal Alps. The Matsch Valley looks back on a past which is no less wild than the mountains which were home to the legendary Matsch “robber baron” feudal landowners who, in times gone by, struck fear into the hearts of the local people.

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