No generalisations, please! Nowhere else would that be more unfair than in Tirol. The character of Tyroleans is as different as the height of the mountain peaks in the various valleys. The Tyrolean may seem coarse. But a lot of it is down to the language. Stubborn? Again, not in general, but rather yes. Sometimes it makes sense not to compromise. Otherwise, centuries-old traditions would probably not have lasted so long.
In fact, the Oberlanders (all Tyroleans west of the Melach in Kematen) are said to have these qualities. But that doesn't mean that the Oberlanders aren't lovable. They just need a little more time to gain trust. Once the ice has been broken, friendships often last a lifetime. What's more, Oberlanders are absolutely honest. You can rely on that.
This in turn is promised to the Unterländer (from Kematen eastwards, with the exception of Innsbruck). It is only too easy to be pressed against the chest of the Unterländer. Which sometimes gives the impression of superficiality and falsehood. You should enjoy it and not take it too seriously! We also take it with humour. It's not for nothing that funny sayings like "A funeral in the Unterland is funnier than a wedding in the Oberland" or "Before you get a kiss from an Oberländer, get a child from a Unterländer" circulate. In this particular case, the latter should be taken a little more seriously.
Unbelievable, but true: there are many of us who can't ski because they have never learnt properly or simply don't like it. They just don't publicise it. I belong to both groups, but nobody believes me. Maybe I shouldn't turn up at après-ski with my ski equipment...
Football? Well, hope dies last. And you give up letters.
We are a tourist country, but that doesn't mean that we are all like in the legendary TV programme "Die Piefke-Saga" from the 80s of the last century. Anyone familiar with the saga knows that there are "Griaßler" (a fake person, usually an innkeeper, who feigns exaggerated friendliness to guests in order to persuade them to consume in his establishment) in all tourist regions of the world.
From my own experience, I can only say that I have only met a few "Griaßler" in Tyrol. For example, I have never been pulled into the restaurant by a Tyrolean mountain hut owner because he wanted me to try the dish of the day, as happened to me years ago in Rimini in front of a pizzeria with an Italian waiter.... or perhaps he wasn't even part of the restaurant? Could also be. Oops.
It's not like that everywhere either. In Innsbruck itself, people often like to speak an adapted High German that the rest of the Tyroleans don't always like to hear because it comes across as arrogant, such as "Da habm wir sehr glacht" instead of "Do homma volle glocht". The coarse-sounding "KKK" is suppressed in corresponding words. In predominantly Oberland areas it is different. There, names such as "Christian" often turn out to be tongue twisters. This quickly becomes "KKKrischtian". The "Jakob" quickly becomes a "JaKKKopp", if not a "Joggl", in order to avoid the "KKK".
A peculiarity that reunites the whole of Tyrol and makes communication much easier. Similar to the friendly "Stamperl" (glass of schnapps, preferably home-distilled) drunk together. Whether suspicious or open, everyone is greeted on the street outside of towns and cities (it's not proper to do that there, you wouldn't be able to cope). Preferably with "Griaß di" or "Griaß enKKK". Also "Servus" and "Heil" among familiar faces. This greeting has nothing whatsoever to do with Nazi socialism! You only wish the other person the best. And that he may always be "heil", i.e. spared from evil.
That's not true, although sometimes it would be practical. A dirndl is light and airy even in summer (except for traditional costumes, which are usually made from heavy fabrics) and suits every woman, whether round, thin, old or young. And the wash-resistant lederhosen are a hit anyway. At tent festivals and processions, however, the Tyrolean costume is a must for every tradition-conscious local, and in many places in the catering industry among waiters and waitresses. Here, not always entirely voluntarily.
Not true, although people do like to party, if only at marquee parties. If the party mood is right, people sometimes yodel. But that doesn't mean that everyone can do it! The "Schuachplattler" in particular requires practice and skill. Usually only the music group booked for the party yodels. This is increasingly the case in the Zillertal. This is probably because the Zillertal also has the highest density of music groups in Tyrol.
This impression arises because a Tyrolean tends to feel independent and not necessarily Austrian. Yet every Tyrolean who has ever been to Vienna knows how openly they are received there. The Viennese seem to love us. And that in turn flatters us.
Not true. When I once explained to a flatlander that you don't need a four-wheel drive for many alpine roads that are open to cars, but that you could just as easily drive along them in a Suzuki Swift, he didn't want to show off in his new Golf GTI. And when he hit the first bump, he was sweating like it was thirty degrees in the shade, which is rather rare in Tyrol. Nothing happened to his sled. I knew it!
All-wheel drive is still very popular, especially in winter, as it makes many a steep ascent easier. But do we all have one? A definite no. Anyone who thinks that we all live in steep areas anyway, that our houses only have slopes and that you need crampons to get home in winter should take a look at the Inn Valley. It's full of life there. Most Tyroleans live to the left and right of the Inn and not on the mountain at all.
Partly true. More in the past than today. And when they do, it's at folk festivals, mostly younger lads. But then it's quickly over again and it's back to smoking the peace pipe or cigarette. Due to the increasing ban on smoking in public places, including in festival tents, people are once again increasingly drinking a "Versöhnungs-Schnapserl" or half a beer.
