Breeds of The Zillertal and Tux
A Tyrolean valley that gave its name to the Tux-Zillertal cattle, with Tyrol Grey herds on neighbouring alpine pastures.
Breeds of this place
Best time: September, for the Almabtrieb; June to August for the alps.
The Zillertal is a long valley in the Austrian Tyrol, branching at Mayrhofen into side valleys that rise to glaciers. In the Tux valley, farmers bred small, strong black or red cattle, the Tux-Zillertal, known for their spirit and once kept for fighting contests. Across Tyrol, the silver-grey Tyrol Grey is the other native breed.
Native breeds
Tux-Zillertal cattle are small, compact and usually black, sometimes red, with a white back stripe in some animals. They nearly disappeared in the twentieth century and are now kept by enthusiasts. The Tyrol Grey is a hardy mountain dual-purpose breed from the upper Inn valley, light to silver grey, well suited to high, steep pasture.
The return from the alp
In late September, herds come down from the high pastures through the villages. The lead cows wear large headdresses of flowers, ribbons and mirrors, and bells ring along the streets. The Almabtrieb in the Zillertal and the Tux valley draws crowds each year.
A trail idea for The Zillertal and Tux
- Mayrhofen The valley's main village, where the side valleys meet.
- Tux valley The side valley that gave its name to the breed.
- High pastures Summer grazing above the valley floor.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Zillertal" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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