Biberwier
The town's namesake beaver, a mining past, glistening mountain and bathing lakes: all this characterises Biberwier - and makes the small village a popular holiday destination in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena. Swimming in the Blindsee or Mittersee lakes in summer and skiing and snowboarding on the Marienberg in winter - that's what Biberwier is about.
Facts & figures
Where is Biberwier?
If you’re looking for Biberwier, you’ll find it at the southern edge of the Lermooser Moos – a now partially dry area of moorlands. It lies embedded between a mountain face and the Fern Pass fossil rockslide deposits in the Tyrolean Alps. The river Loisach has its source in the western part of the village and flows through the entire municipality. Located at the foothills of the Wetterstein range and near the German-Austrian border, Biberwier can be seen from atop the Zugspitze.
The town’s name “Biberwier” is no accident: Until the 1800s, the industrious gnawers have lived in local mountain streams – then they disappeared for about 200 years. Since the beginning of the 21st century, a few beavers have been spotted in Biberwier again.
The history of Biberwier
Biberwier is located along the Via Claudia Augusta cycle route which follows the ancient Roman road of the same name – and that’s where the town’s eventful history started. Archaeological finds from the Roman period show that the little village played an important role along this traffic and transport route. From the Middle Ages until 1921, everything revolved around mining in Biberwier. At the Silberleithe, galmei, lead and zinc ore were mined. The Gewerkschaft Silberleithen (Silberleithen Union) was one of the biggest mining operations in the Tyrolean Außerfern region at the time.
Good to know: If you’d like to explore the former miner’s town, you can do so on the Montan hiking trail Silberleithen.
Images of Biberwier
