Wining & Dining

Our Water

Fresh from the mountain spring
Innsbruck's ‘natural’ mineral water: pure and of excellent quality

Experts describe Innsbruck's water as "natural mineral water", as 99% of it is spring water. Before bubbling out of every tap as one of life's essential elements in its most pure and natural form, it is stored in the mountains for up to 20 years, purified and enriched with minerals. Almost too precious for using in the shower ...

When in 1485 an Innsbruck citizen consented to the construction of a water conduit through his property, the doors were open for the public water supply of the Tyrolean provincial capital. At that time already, a spring rising in the Nordkette mountain range was used as a collecting basin for this fabulous mountain treasure.

In places where during the winter snowboarders and skiers indulge in their favourite sport and in the summer hikers enjoy the splendid views, deep inside the mountains chemical processes take place day by day, finally determining the quality of the water. The precipitations which soak into the soil pass through the different geological layers, where they are purified and enriched with trace elements and minerals.

This process occurs at an average temperature of 4.5° Celsius, which means in a relatively cold environment, and takes between ten to 20 years. Only then does the water re-emerge from the depths to the surface at drinking water quality and as mainly "soft" water, serving us as an excellent nutrition element.

Since the beginnings of public water supply in the fifteenth century much has happened concerning the exploitation of this extremely valuable raw material. Whereas in former times the water was collected on the surface, today tunnels plunge as far as 700m down into the mountain, from where the water is taken to the drinking water plant and then into houses. According to the season, between 550 and 1,400 litres of drinking water per second (!) are collected using this system. A fact which proves that Innsbruck's public water supply will be guaranteed also in the future.

Although the city boasts ideal circumstances the quality of the water is constantly checked with participation of the Institute of Hygiene at Innsbruck University, which, among other things, pays attention to the compliance with EU directives.

In Innsbruck there is only drinking water, which is, by the way, as the experts agree one of the best in the world and used in the home even for showers and baths. However, in Tyrol with its almost inexhaustible water reserves, the consciousness that this "mountain treasure" has to be treated cautiously has constantly grown during the last years.

According to this conclusion, people now reflect more about the positive effects of this important liquid on health - an essential item of nutrition that you do not have to buy in bottles, as it simply comes out of the tap: directly from the mountains, completely free from germs, absolutely untreated, naturally enriched with calcium, magnesium and hydrocarbonate – an energy drink with the label "pure nature".

The human body consists as much as 63% of water and thus needs an appropriate amount of liquid: around two litres a day for people with a weight of 60 kg, a weight of 90 kg already requires more than three litres. Water also is used as a remedy – especially in homeopathy. Is there anything better than taking well-being, health and nature in their purest form by taking a long swig of water? And this even without counting calories ...