Sustainability in Reit im Winkl

According to German Wikipedia, the predicate "officially recognised climatic health resort" is given to "places whose air and climate, according to an expert report, have properties that are beneficial for recreation and health. This report must be repeated regularly."

Reit im Winkl was named an officially recognised climatic health resort in 1956 and has repeatedly met the requirements for the report since then.

Reasons are, on the one hand, the altitude, which ensures that the summer heat is moderate and the nights remain pleasantly cool. The town is surrounded by extensive mountain forests of the Chiemgau Alps and is part of the “Bavarian Alps climate area".

The weather characteristics are largely determined by the conditions, i.e. by the influence of the mountain ranges and the valley cuts on the weather. In Reit im Winkl, 16 humid days can be expected, a value that remains well below the set limit of 25 days per year for recognition as a climatic health resort.

In addition to the natural conditions for good air, we also actively ensure that the good mountain air is preserved: with the "Naturwärme" heating plant (see below), with aisles in town that are not built on, with public transport that reduces car traffic, with hiking trails that start directly in town and do not require driving to trailheads.

130 tanker trucks of 30,000 liters each - this is how much heating oil Reit im Winkl has saved every year since its own biomass cogeneration plant went into operation in 2000.

The low-pollutant combustion of wood from local forests reduces the pollutant gases carbon monoxide by approx. 50%, sulfur dioxide by more than 80% and carbon dioxide by more than 90%. Fossil fuels are saved. The air quality in the valley basin with frequent inversion weather conditions without air exchange is significantly improved. The air purity is checked regularly, the rating "officially recognized climatic health resort" is an important factor for the holidaymakers who come to Reit im Winkl every year because of the good air.

500 connections to private houses, shops, guest houses, hotels and the municipality with its properties and tourist facilities use the safe infrastructure of the heating plant. The majority of the 110 shareholders come from Reit im Winkl, so that in addition to the ecological component, local added value, forest care and the financial strength of the region also benefit.

For more information visit www.naturwaerme-reit-im-winkl.de/

Can you remember the last time you experienced a really dark night with a starry sky that made you dream and be in awe?

"Light pollution" refers to the fact that far too much artificial light illuminates our nights today, with consequences for animals, plants and even us humans.

The IDA, the International Dark Sky Association, certifies Dark Sky Parks worldwide, areas with particularly low light pollution, in which the starry sky can be viewed particularly well and which are worth protecting. The first Dark Sky Park in the Alps was certified on the Winklmoos-Alm, an area that is well protected from bright places such as Salzburg or Munich, Rosenheim or Traunstein. The Almgenossenschaft Winklmoos with the alpine farmers, gastronomers and residents of the Winklmoos-Alm have retrofitted the buildings with lighting in accordance with the Dark Sky Park regulations and thus significantly reduced light pollution.

Make the most of your holiday in Reit im Winkl with a visit to the Winklmoos-Alm Dark Sky Park, quietly gaze at the stars on one of our loungers or join a guided tour with an astronomer.

For more information visit: www.reitimwinkl.de/en/dark-sky-park

• The Winklmoos-Alm is a pure natural snow ski area, without snow-making facilities.
• The electricity for making snow and operating the systems on the Steinplatte is 100% generated from green electricity.
• The snowcats on the Steinplatte are equipped with a snow depth measurement. This means that snow can be produced efficiently and the snow can be brought to where it is needed during preparation. Technical post-snowmaking is therefore not necessary in most cases.
• Free ski bus shuttle between Reit im Winkl and Seegatterl