Place:
Vals
:
Alpine pasture / hut / mountain restaurant
Below the Alpeiner Scharte in the Vals Valley at 2,805 m are the remains of the former molybdenum mine from the Second World War, which was built by the Nazis and where prisoners of war had to work under the worst conditions, even in winter. Molybdenum was never actually mined because the war had ended. You can see the closed tunnel entrance, remains of the cable car or the foundation walls of the workers' camps.
From the Geraer Hütte, the 502/528 trail leads up over stony terrain towards the Alpeiner Scharte. After about 600 metres of altitude, just below the saddle at the foot of the rock pyramid (footstone), the closed entrance to the mine is clearly visible on the left. A short walk around the area also shows the other remains very clearly. Tip: The ascent to the Scharte at 2,959 m is still worthwhile in any case, as you can look across to the other side into the Zillertal and the Schlegeisspeicher.
There is an S-Bahn train every half hour from Innsbruck to Steinach, where you then change to the 4144 bus in the direction of Schmirn.
Car park Gaererhütte
