Silz: Innau, Mill and Local History

Silz brings together natural landscapes, local history and bread-making traditions as distinct focal points. The Silz Innau is a place for nature observation; the parish church and castle offer historical connections, while the mill and themed trail explore grain and bread. The municipality of Silz extends as far as Kühtai.

The Silz Innau

The Silz Innau is a rare remnant of a riparian forest in the Tyrolean Inn Valley. More than 40 bird species have been recorded in the Silz Innau area; around 25 of them breed in the Silz Au. The two figures describe different things: the first refers to the species recorded in the Innau area, while the second is the approximate number of species that breed in the Silz Au.

Access is via the farm track from Silz to the Silzer Pirchet, followed by a walk through the underpass beneath the railway embankment. Seasonal restrictions apply to this access route. Before visiting, therefore, check whether it is accessible at the time of your trip.

Bread, the Mill and the Themed Trail

The Silz Mill makes Silz potato bread using grain and potatoes from local farms. On the first Saturday of every month from March to December, the mill holds bread-baking days, when various types of bread are sold. A guided tour of the mill museum is available on request and offers insights into the history of the municipal mill.

The “From Grain to Bread” themed trail explores the subject through a range of interactive and educational stations. You can reach the trail by taking bus route 8352 to the “Silz Kirchplatz” stop or by train to “Silz Bahnhof” station. Guided tours at the Silz Visitor Centre at the Silz power plant offer further insights into a technical subject: TIWAG provides them by prior arrangement.

Church, Patronal Feast and Castle

The parish church of St Peter and Paul in Silz is a three-aisled hall church with two bays. “Two-bay” describes its division into two bays, while “three-aisled” describes its layout with three aisles. The frescoes in the nave were created by Heinrich Kluibenschedl and his pupil Emanuel Raffeiner from 1903 to 1905.

The patronal feast in Silz is celebrated every year on 29 June. It begins at six o’clock with a Tagrebell; this is followed by a mass, a procession and a shared meal. The patronal feast is therefore an annual event with a clearly described programme.

St. Petersberg Castle was first mentioned in documents in 1090/97. It was originally Welf family property or an imperial fief, and the centre of the county in the Upper Inn Valley. There is a clear limit for visitors: the castle is privately owned and can only be viewed from the outside.

Routes and Landscape

The Inn Cycle Path runs along the banks of the Inn on a gentle, level route with no steep climbs. The route to the summit cross on Faltegartenköpfl offers views of the Mieming Plateau and the Inn Valley. Together, the riverside route and the summit trail provide different perspectives on the landscape. Mountain conditions vary by season and should be taken into account when planning your trip.

Getting to Silz

Silz has a motorway connection at Silz/Mötz and a rail connection served by Austrian Federal Railways. If you are travelling by train, check the timetables separately. If travelling by road, it is advisable to check the latest road conditions.

Discover more destinations: Kühtai, Wenns, Obsteig, Sautens, Umhausen, Sankt Leonhard im Pitztal, Roppen, Sölden.

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