The name is probably derived from Außer dem Fern. Außer- and Inner- in the Tyrolese dialect are common prefixes to the name of a valley and distinguish the mouth of the valley from its upper reaches, or the section of a valley downstream of its main settlement from the upstream regions, or simply the directions into and out of the valley. Außerfern may possible refer, therefore, to the valley up to the historic climb to the Fern Pass.
History
The region was settled from the 10th century along the Via Claudia Augusta by Alamanni. At the end of the 13th century it became part of the County of Tyrol through the imperial agreement of Duke Meinhard, however the Außerfern's close economic and cultural relationships with the Allgäu region remained. For example, the Außerfern was for a long time placed ecclesiastically under the Bishopric of Augsburg. This was aided by good transportation links to the Allgäu and to Upper Bavaria, whilst there was only one link to the Inn valley usable in winter, namely the Fern Pass.
Linguistic unit
Linguistically the region is dominated by a mixed form of the Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian dialects. The regions settled by Upper Bavaria and from the Inn valley, such as the Ehrwald Basin and the tributary valleys of the Lech have similarities with the dialects of the Upper Inn Valley, whilst in the region around Reutte and in the Tannheim valley, a Swabian-Alemannic dialect dominates.
Today the term is used particularly in the Regional Development of Außerfern – the region is part of the Euroregions Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, EUREGIO via salina and Zugspitze-Wetterstein-Karwendel. Tourism is an important source of income, because the rather barren and high terrain is difficult to cultivate. In addition, industry and trade play a role, especially in the central Lech valley and the Reutte Basin. The Tyrolean Lech Valley Nature Park and the river Lech, one of the last natural rivers in Europe, together with the multitude of sporting facilities are the basis for tourism in the Außerfern. The main link into the rest of Tyrol is over the Fern Pass. The region is linked from the German railway network by the Außerfern Railway.
