The Mountain Eagle

It is thanks to a postcard that Hitchcock first found out about the mountain village in the uppermost part of Ötztal. It is in 1925, Hitchcock is currently in Munich for the production of his second film The Mountain Eagle. He is still in search of an ideal backdrop for outdoor shots. Then he notices a postcard in the shop window that shows a small, remote village surrounded by steep mountain slopes. The location seems to be perfect for his project. So Hitchcock asks the shopkeeper which village is on the postcard. “Obergurgl in Tirol” is the answer. Together with his assistant Hitchcock then sets off on the then tiring journey from Munich to Obergurgl.

Nowadays you can easily reach Obergurgl from Munich by car within 3 hours. Minimum effort, maximum difference: from the big city to the small mountain village, from the foothills of the Alps straight to the heart of the mountains. Around 100 years ago, in autumn 1925, things were still completely different. First, Hitchcock & team take the train from Munich to Innsbruck, then in an open car for 7 hours (!) to Ötztal and finally another two and a half hours on foot to Obergurgl.

But the journey was worth it. Obergurgl is exactly the picture postcard idyll that Hitchcock wanted: a romantic alpine village, idyllically located, with snow-capped mountains, lush meadows, deep green forests and far away from any civilization. Immediately after the climb, Hitchcock and his cameraman take the first shots in the outdoors. The next morning they are surprised by an early onset of winter, which has covered the entire landscape in a white coat. They then decide to descend to Umhausen.

The beauty of Tirol’s mountain landscape not only captivated the legendary director Hitchcock. Many top-class film and television productions have been shot in Tirol in recent decades. The most famous film “made in Tirol” is definitely JAMES BOND 007 – SPECTRE. Filmed in Sölden (Ötztal) and Obertilliach (East Tyrol). So what is it that keeps filmmakers from all over the world drawn to Tirol for their productions?

Johannes Köck, Head of Cine Tirol, names several success factors that set Tirol apart from the international competition as a filming location. In particular the “variety of alpine filming locations; the easy accessibility of even high alpine areas; the five perfectly developed glacier areas and the breathtaking mountain roads” are top arguments for Tirol as the number one location. In addition, according to Köck, there is the efficient infrastructure, the special architecture, the central location in Europe and the good cooperation with locals and partners on the spot. So Tirol is not “just” beautiful, but rather impressive in all its facets. By the way: this makes Tirol and especially Ötztal not only an ideal film location, but also a perfect event venue.

Scenic Ötztal, Tirol’s longest side valley and home to myriad superlatives. Stretching over a distance of 65 km, the valley is home to 250 peaks higher than three thousand meters, including Wildspitze as the highest mountain in Tirol, 1600 km of hiking trails, 6 ski areas, 363 fine slope kilometers and 5 different climatic zones. In addition to the huge choice of leisure time activities, it is above all the pristine nature that guests from around the globe appreciate and love in Ötztal.

Obergurgl in particular, located at the very end of the valley, seems to have an almost magical appeal. In the mountain village at almost 2,000 m above sea level, Hitchcock wasn't the only one who found the alpine idyll he was looking for in 1925. Around 6 years after filming The Mountain Eagle, a world-famous scientist rather involuntarily gets to know Gurgl. In May 1931, the Swiss physicist Prof. Auguste Piccard had to make an emergency landing on Gurgler Ferner glacier during his first stratospheric flight. Obergurgl becomes world famous almost overnight. Also the Austrian economist and Nobel Prize winner Friedrich August von Hayek has a special connection to the small Tirolean mountain village. In Obergurgl’s Zirbenwald stone pine forest, not far from Gurgl Carat, he is said to have written his most famous work: “The Constitution of Freedom”.

Lara Brunner is a freelance copywriter and specialist in content marketing. As a studied Germanist, she writes about all topics related to Gurgl Carat in the Carat.Blog. The Tirolean-by-choice seeks and finds inspiration for her texts amid unspoilt nature in Gurgl. That is why she spends most of her free time in the Ötztal mountains. With hiking boots or on skis, she prefers to explore the many three-thousand meter high summits in the immediate vicinity of Gurgl Carat.