"The Ötztal Museums are a harbor where you can confidently dock. We are sitting in a 600-year old building in Lehn near Längenfeld, that alone tells our unique story. Also the locals appreciate us - and recommend us to others. Through our work we want to answer the great questions: Where do we come from? Actually, who are we? And we try to help find an answer to the central question: Where do we want to go?
In order to be able to give all these answers, knowledge of our culture, economy and identity is required. We need to know them in order to be able to consciously develop ourselves further. We are rightly proud of the beautiful nature that Ötztal has to offer. But we shouldn't see the great natural environment without its cultural space. They belong together. They are the two sides of the same coin.
Expert historians consider the change of epochs in larger contexts. Historically, Ötztal has been catapulted extremely quickly from a traditional circular economy system into a modern service-oriented society. With this change came the subliminal fear that the new achievements - prosperity, security, connection to the modern age - could disappear as quickly as they came. We must not forget that there are still many people in Ötztal who personally remember a poor and hard past.
This awareness of how hard and difficult life used to be is still there. And it shapes the people in the valley in very many different ways: Some consciously follow the paths of tradition. Others want to be at the forefront of all new developments. And of course there are also those who no longer want to look back, but only look ahead.