As the owner of the Gufl-Hütte in Tulfenberg, Hannes Lafner knows a thing or two about pinewood. After all, his hut is surrounded by pine trees stretching up to almost 2,000m above sea level. Lafner created the original "Zirbelkugel", a small ball shaped from solid pinewood, and has gone on to design many more pinewood products.
For many centuries pinewood was one of the key building materials in Tirol. Every farmhouse in the region had a "Zirbenstube", a cosy parlour with pinewood cladding which not only kept the heat in and the cold out but also gave off a wonderful aroma. Though in the second half of the 20th century pinewood went out of fashion for while, it has recently experienced a rennaissance and is being used more and more these days by young furniture makers and interior designers who appreciate the qualities of this light wood which is easy to work and does not crack when dry.
A wood with a view
Ironically, one of the most popular pinewood products of recent years has not been an item of a furniture such as a mighty table or a traditional rocking chair but, instead, a small sphere shaped from pure pinewood. This "Zirbenkugel", literally "pinewood ball", is often used as a stopper for water carafes and transmits its unique aroma to the water itself, giving it a unique pinewood taste. Studies have also shown that pinewood creates a healthy room climate and is particularly beneficial for the body's vegetative nervous system and circulation.
Visitors keen to find out more about this most typical of alpine materials should head up to the top of the Patscherkofel mountain to the south of Innsbruck. Here, the Zirbenweg, a hiking trail with information boards connects the Patscherkofel to the neighbouring Glungezer mountain and leads at an altitude of around 2,000m through a large pinewood forest.
For many centuries pinewood was one of the key building materials in Tirol. Every farmhouse in the region had a "Zirbenstube", a cosy parlour with…
