Sill (river)

The Sill is a 35 km long river in Tyrol, Austria. It is one of the larger tributaries of the Inn River in the Austrian Tyrol. It flows through the Wipptal valley north to Innsbruck. Its source lies east of the Brenner Pass. At the "Sillzwickel" - the name of the point where it meets the Inn at Innsbruck - there is a big recreation area, with showers, toilets and cycle tracks. In summer you can enter the waterside there and go through shallow water to the middle of the river.

The natural river basin is about 855 km²; 31,6 km² are covered in glacier ice.

The water power generated by the river flow is used for three power plants providing the city and environs with electricity. In the Wipptal Valley the water quality is grade A to B. In the city area it is reduced to B because of sewage.

One interesting point on the river is the Sill Fall (see picture) which has a height of 4 meters. This is the point where water is taken out for urban use. In the fall basin, fish such as trout can be found. Also interesting is the Bretterkeller waterfall located at the bottom of the Paschberg in the city area of Innsbruck.

The River Sill features prominently in the story Amras by the Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard.