Werner Kräutler

is known as a journalist, regional developer in the Ötztal, and author. Between 1996 and 2005, he developed numerous tourism-based sustainable projects, such as the Ötzidorf and the reconstruction of ore processing, including a miner's house in the Wörgetal.

For decades, he has been deeply involved in the study of prehistoric cult sites, cup-marked stones, menhirs, and stone circles in Tyrol. His friendship with the folklorist Professor Hans Haid also introduced him to the world of mountain farmers.

Following his retirement, Kräutler began writing blogs, including on his own platform, "Tirol isch toll," and occasionally for the Innsbruck Tourism blog portal. His book "50 Things a Tyrolean Must Have Done" is essentially the condensed version of his blog portal.

In 2015, together with friends, he founded the successful initiative for the preservation of alpine pastures and mountain meadows, the "School of the Alm in the Valsertal." This is a nonprofit effort to encourage volunteers to help preserve the cultural heritage of the Alps, specifically the alpine pastures and mountain meadows.

Since 2000, he has almost annually engaged in "cultural long-distance walking," also widely known as "pilgrimage." He has documented his foot journeys through Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Tyrol in numerous personal blogs.

Details:

• Born on August 1, 1950, in Feldkirch

• Primary and secondary schooling followed by a degree in economics and political science

• Journalist for all major daily newspapers in Austria from 1977 to 1996

• Regional manager in the Ötztal from 1996 to 2005

• CFO at his brother's businesses in Samut Sakhorn, Thailand, from 2005 to 2011

• Social media expert at an advertising agency in Innsbruck from 2012 to 2015

• Retired since 2015.