H 2 O! Facts and figures about water

“The water is a friendly element to a man who is at home in it, and who knows how to deal with it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 4

H2 O!

Without water there’s no life, no beauty, no indulgence. A tasting.

EISACK RIVER The Eisack river (Isarco in Italian) is the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is at the Brenner Pass, and after 99.9 kilometres it flows into the Adige river near Bolzano/Bozen. The river’s name is of Indogermanic origin: “es” or “is” used to mean “running water”.

1 BARBIAN WATERFALLS The Barbian waterfalls cover a difference in altitude of 1,520 metres in several cascades over a distance of about six kilometres. At 85 metres, the lowest of the waterfalls is the longest in South Tyrol. Nearby there is a Kneipp facility. Guided easy Kneipp hikes take place every Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm between late June and late September (meeting point: Barbiano/Barbian information office).

2 MOUNTAIN LAKES There are many mountain lakes in the area around Bressanone/ Brixen and Chiusa/Klausen. The most beautiful ones include the Seefeldsee, Schrüttensee, Radlsee, Puntleider See and Totensee lakes. BIVOUAC Always wanted to try sleeping in the snow? Then attend the South Tyrol Bivouac Camp at the Villandro/Villanders and Lazfons/ Latzfons Alpine pastures, where you can slumber in a tent or an igloo. More information at www.biwakcamp.com

3 NATURAL POOLS Before there were public pools, the Tinnebach stream served as a natural swimming pool for the people of Chiusa, and it is still a welcome place to cool down on a hot day. In Luson/Lüsen, too, you can enjoy an all-natural swim: the Luson swimming pond, situated picturesquely amidst woods and meadows, was South Tyrol’s first official natural swimming pool. With its 800 square metres of water surface, a waterslide, and a children’s pool, it is particularly family-friendly.

4 70 PER CENT In quantitative terms, water is the most important component of the human body. While still accounting for 70 per cent in infants, the water content in adults is reduced to approximately 60 per cent and 45 per cent in elderly people.

5 WATER LIGHT FESTIVAL Every year in May, the “Water Light Festival” is celebrated in Bressanone. Artists from all over the world who draw inspiration from those two elements participate, presenting art installations at the water locations of this historic town. The result is a unique offer of moments centred around water, light, art, and life. A special honour is bestowed upon the town for the 2019 edition: parallel to the festival, the national Italian water congress “Festival dell’Acqua” is taking place, which looks at the topic of water from a scientific point of view. More information at www.brixen.org/waterlight

6 PLOSE An artesian mineral water spring originates at the local mountain of Bressanone at an altitude of 1,870 metres. For 60 years the Fellin family has been bottling “Plose” water and selling it to various countries.

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20 KM/H Compared to a human being, a drop of rain is slower to fall to the ground: at an average speed of 20 kilometres per hour. With a size of only 2.5 millimetres, it is affected by aerodynamic drag more strongly; it forms its own parachute, so to speak. By the way, a rain drop is actually not drop-shaped at all: a drop of drizzle is a perfect sphere; large drops are flat at the bottom.

FLOODED On 9 August 1921, the Eisack river flooded the town of Chiusa, inundating it for several months in water several metres high in places. Many buildings still bear flood marks to commemorate the inundation.

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