The region's Nordic history

The Olympic flame has burned three times in the Region Seefeld, which was the venue for the Nordic disciplines at the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

In 1985 Seefeld was the venue for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. With the experience and know-how of the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV), excellent infrastructure, award-winning cross-country ski trails, sustainability and outstanding sporting expertise, the plateau impresses once again in the awarding of the 2019 World Championships in Barcelona. For the second time, Seefeld has been awarded the hosting of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2019.

As early as 1964, Seefeld was also spruced up on the occasion of the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck: the new railway station and the large north-south bypass on the eastern edge of Seefeld were built. At that time, cross-country skiing was only known as a competitive sport: hard training, running until exhaustion and this in competition mode. This sport left its mark on the plateau, as international teams trained here in the forests. The first attempts to create optimal conditions and build practice trails came from the Seefeld Tourist Board. In the beginning with tractors and building yard employees on cross-country skis and later even a Ski-Doo was borrowed from Canada for this purpose. The first cross-country skiing movement was born: Seefeld was the first place in the Alpine region to make cross-country skiing popular for holidaymakers and locals under the name "ski touring". However, there was still a long way to go to become the best cross-country skiing area in the Alps and to turn the "competitive sport" of cross-country skiing into leisure fun for young and old.

The 1976 Winter Olympics were the next step, and new projects were tackled prudently and with an eye to the future. On 19 December 1975 the time had come and the pedestrian zone in Seefeld could be built thanks to the construction of the Olympic Road (bypass north) and the Gschwandtkopf Tunnel (bypass south) and is still one of the oldest in the whole of Tyrol. The town hall was built in the centre of the village and from then on also housed the information office of the Seefeld Tourist Association as a central hub. Another highlight was the first swimming pool and sauna on the plateau in the Sports and Congress Centre (SKZ). The incomparable shape of the indoor and outdoor pools has remained identical. The entire building was used as a press centre during the entire competition period. In order to ensure top conditions for these Winter Games, massive work was done on the expansion of the existing cross-country skiing network. More and more, the spark from which all things Nordic sprang was ignited in the Region Seefeld.

1985 was the year of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld. In the meantime, companies with professional machines came forward to expand and prepare the cross-country ski trails. Seefeld offered two perfect competition tracks for the first time, which allowed the faster athlete to find a perfect track even when overtaking. The World Cup hall was rebuilt and used as a press centre during the competitions. In an incomparable natural setting, between the golf course paradise and the Wetterstein mountains, a monument was erected at the Wildsee: the 3-prong monument stands for 2 times Olympic Games and 1 time World Championships. All medal winners of the Nordic competitions are immortalised here. The silver ball commemorates the ski race for the "Seefeld Silver Ball"

In the summer of 2010, new biathlon and ski jumping facilities were built, as well as a new roller track for summer use. The biathlon facility was modernised to the latest state of the art to create perfect conditions for the competitions.

Since 2004, the "Nordic Combined Triple" World Cup has been held annually in the Region Seefeld and is regarded as the highlight of the winter season by athletes and spectators alike. Another top sporting event is the Euroloppet Ganghoferlauf Leutasch, which is part of the well-known Euroloppet marathon series.

The impressive landscape on the sunny high plateau at an altitude of 1,200 metres, framed by the Karwendel nature reserve, the Wetterstein Mountains and the Hohe Munde, leaves nothing to be desired for cross-country skiers with 245 km of perfectly groomed trails. In addition to opportunities for cross-country sledding, a dedicated dog track, illuminated tracks in the evening, winter hiking, ice skating, curling or testing your marksmanship in the modern biathlon facility, the culinary delights are not neglected either. From traditional Tyrolean delicacies to haute cuisine, the gastronomy on the plateau invites you to enjoy and taste. A stroll through the oldest pedestrian zone in Tyrol with family-run boutiques invites you to take a stroll. For those who want to put all their eggs in one basket, Seefeld's alpine-style casino offers a warm welcome.