Anyone arriving at the Tyrolean Ibex Centre will immediately notice that the animal inhabitants of the Alps set the tone both outside in the enclosure and inside in the exhibition building. First of all, there is a short walk along the themed trail. It takes a leisurely 15 minutes from the car park to the ibex centre's exhibition building, the "Haus am Schrofen". Panels on the history, habitat and special abilities of the ibex and their neighbours in the mountains, the marmots, really make you want to experience the animals live. But first there is still a lot to discover in the exhibition centre.
The "Haus am Schrofen" is the centrepiece of the Tyrolean Ibex Centre - a modern concrete building next to one of the oldest farms in the valley. This fits together surprisingly well, as the new house has something of a rock and its façade is reminiscent of the boards of old wooden barns. The surroundings are also perceptible inside, and not just because there are always views of the outside. Part of the exhibition centres on early photography in the Pitztal. The rare photographs from around 1900 are like windows into the history of the valley - into a time when there were hunters, poachers, cyclists, travelling photographers and other interesting people to photograph, but no ibexes.
Wait a minute, ... no ibexes? That was the case until not so long ago. In the Middle Ages, they were hunted intensively for meat, fur and medicine and were extinct in Tyrol for centuries. In the second part of the show, you can find out how they were reintroduced in the 1950s, why they are real climbing pros and how they live - and then it really is time to meet the animals for yourself.
With a bit of luck, you can watch ibex in the wild from the viewing terrace of the "Haus am Schrofen". From here, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the mountain slopes opposite. Numerous descendants of the small population that was settled in the Pitztal in the 1950s live there today. However, you can get much closer in the wildlife enclosure of the ibex centre, which can be reached via a footbridge from the house. Seven ibex from the Alpine Zoo in Innsbruck can be found there: an ibex, ibex goats and small ibex fawns.
When a little toddler jumps a metre or two from a standing start or climbs nimbly through the rock, even grown men find it cute. It's no different with the marmots. You can catch them basking in the sun with their bellies in the sun and their noses in the wind. If this gives you the idea that you could do with a break yourself, we recommend the café in the Haus am Schrofen. It offers peace and quiet, even more views and, last but not least, refreshments for the short return journey.
