The living river Isel

2025 – A Year for the Isel

The Isel is more than what we see. She shapes our culture, our way of life, and is the lifeline of East Tyrol.
People come to her to find peace and draw strength. Many walk her banks every day, sharing stories and quiet moments with her. Accompanied by her gentle murmur, thoughts begin to drift, and time softens on her gravel shores. The Isel inspires us. We work with her. We share with her – as she does with us.

It is this connection, this shared life, that we wish to celebrate — bringing the Isel into the heart of our community.
Throughout 2025, we want to highlight the many facets of the relationship between the people of East Tyrol and the Isel. We want to engage in dialogue — with her and with one another. The activities and interests that gather around the Isel are as diverse as the river itself. That is what the “Year of the Isel” is all about — whether she is a source of peace, a companion, or a teacher.
Through art and culture, tradition and modernity, through you — and through her.

Our goal is a relationship built on respect, responsibility, and mindful coexistence.
This applies both to the people who live and work in the region and to the Isel herself — one of the last largely intact glacial rivers in the Alps.
By recognizing the needs of both people and river, we strive to create new standards for living together.
For us.
For future generations.
For the Isel.

Rights for Nature – Meeting at Eye Level

What if nature — or ecosystems such as rivers, forests, or even entire oceans — had their own rights?
A right to exist, to remain unharmed, to protect their diversity?
The idea is simple yet profound: just as companies or associations are recognized as legal entities, ecosystems, too, could be represented in court when their rights are violated.

What once sounded visionary is now becoming reality around the world.
In 2008, Ecuador enshrined nature — “Pachamama” — as a legal entity in its constitution.
In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River this same status.
Europe, too, is taking steps in this direction: in 2022, Spain’s Mar Menor lagoon became the first ecosystem to be legally recognized, and in 2025, the Seine in Paris received symbolic honorary citizenship.

Why? The principle is simple: respect.
The Rights for Nature call for a renewed relationship between humans and the natural world — one founded on mutual respect.
Nature is acknowledged in her dignity and intrinsic value — not merely as a resource, but as a being in her own right. It is, at its heart, a meeting at eye level.

Together for the Living Isel

And what might the Isel herself wish for?
Perhaps a constant sense of togetherness — between people, animals, and the landscapes that surround her.

You can find out more at www.die-isel.at