Martinau, a small town in Tyrol in Austria, is only about an hour's drive from Grainau. This small town with its pretty houses and church would probably only be a contemplative spot on the map if there wasn't a special feature here that makes this place a mecca for botanists and nature lovers between mid-May and mid-June. Because it is right here, on a small area, that 6,000 bloom every year Yellow women's shoes and make the Martinauer Au the largest contiguous women's shoe area in Europe!

From Grainau to Martinau: a panoramic trip through fantastic mountain scenery

You can travel to Martinau on two different routes. The shorter route is via expressway 179 to Reutte and from there via 198 to Stanzach and Martinau. The 63 km long journey takes around 1 hour. The more beautiful route branches off Fernpass 179 at Bichlbach and leads via Berwang, Rinnen and Namlos to Stanzach and from there to Martinau. This route takes around 1:45 hours if you drive without stopping. However, the trip is a real treat and so you should enjoy this route to the fullest. Curve by bend, the road winds through an enchanting landscape consisting of magnificent mountain panoramas, deep gorges, bubbling waterfalls, blooming alpine meadows and tranquil mountain villages. Austrian road builders knew about the beauty of their homeland and wisely set up stops along the road again and again. Thank you so much for that!

At the end of the route, you cross the ice-blue river Lech and pass the village of Martinau. Follow the road in the direction of Vorderhornbach and soon come across signs for the parking lot.

1.5 km route full of impressions

From the car park, an idyllic forest trail leads into the riparian forest. After a few hundred meters, you will reach official access to the women's shoe area. Here you can find out a lot of interesting facts about women's shoe blossoms and a plan that provides information about the three trails that lead through the riparian forest. From here on, it's time to keep an eye out, but it's not difficult to spot a women's shoe orchid, after just a few meters you can see the first blossoms on the forest floor, which make the heart of every botanist and nature lover beat faster.

A plant worth protecting

The orchid owes the name Frauenschuh to its distinctive shoe shape. The orchid grows up to 70 cm long and can live up to 30 years. The yellow lady slipper is one of the most magnificent wild orchid species in Europe and is protected in all countries. In Austria and Tyrol, the orchid species is considered endangered and is therefore particularly protected. Looting, picking and excavation have meant that its population is threatened. That is why the women's shoe area has been supervised by the mountain rescue team on a voluntary basis and with great commitment during the flowering period from mid-May to mid-June. So that guests from all over the world can continue to enjoy orchid blossoms in the future, every visitor should follow the rules.

Martinauer Au Nature Paradise

A lot has now been written about the yellow women's slipper, which is of course also the highlight in the riparian forest. However, the area is also home to thousands Lily of the valley, which cover the forest floor with their lovely white flowers and fill the path with their enchanting scent. Other flowers that hope for plant lovers here include, depending on the season of stemless gentian, the fragrant white root, that Cat's paw, Forget-me-not, Silberwurz, Horseshoe clover, Primrose, scrubbed linwort, the Heart-leafed globe flower And that picked orchid. The caretakers of the floodplain have kindly set up more signs pointing out the magical flowers. A tour of the area takes around 1 hour, depending on how interested you are in the plant species that grow here.

More tips for a special holiday

• Arrive early or late in the afternoon to see the orchid flower. From 10:00 on, the parking spaces are well occupied and the trails get crowded.
• If you like hiking, you can combine a visit to the Martinauer Au with a hike on the Lechweg. Stage 5 of the Lechweg trail leads 19.5 km from Elbigenalp to Vorderhornbach. Stage 6 is a bit shorter at 16 km from Vorderhornbach to Weissenbach.
• On a trip via Reutte, a visit to the Ehrenberg ruins with its special suspension bridge, the highline 179, is worthwhile.

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