Verliebte Ferien in Tirol (1971)

Young Dortmund architect Stefan Hellwig has the opportunity of a lifetime: he is supposed to plan the expansion of an industrial quarry in Tyrol and, among other things, design a housing estate for the new workers. He owes the opportunity in part to Monique, the quarry director Kersten’s daughter, who has taken an interest in him. Stefan must inspect the site in person and deliver the first plans within two weeks. Christian Meier, a dispatcher in the steel industry, gives Stefan a ride in his car. Stefan will be Christian’s subtenant, and Christian plans to go on holiday in Africa with his wife Marie and daughter Babsi. However, Christian’s timetable falls apart, and they do not reach Tyrol until evening. Babsi is exhausted and whimpering, and Marie does not want to continue to Innsbruck in the dark, so the family stays at an old Tyrolean farmhouse, where Stefan has already rented a room for several days. During the night, Babsi develops a fever, and Stefan goes to the village to find a doctor. Karin, whom he brings to the farmhouse, is actually a veterinarian, but she is able to treat Babsi, who is suffering from a little stress. She nevertheless prescribes three days of bed rest. Christian, who slept through the night, still wants to go to Africa. He rebooks the holiday with the travel agency. Meanwhile, Babsi, a city child, gets to know her new surroundings. Peterl, a village boy, shows her the young goats and chamois, little piglets, and hedgehogs. She bets him that the chicks will not hatch from their eggs the next day. But she may miss the hatching, because Christian wants to leave at once with Babsi and Marie, who seems to have recovered. With a ruse and the help of Dr. Madesperger, they manage to fake a high fever and measles, forcing Christian to spend two extra weeks on holiday in Tyrol. But he discovers the trick, goes to Madesperger’s place drunk, and causes a car accident at a service station. With the police nearby, his driving licence is quickly taken away, and the car repairs will take time, so Christian finally has to abandon his plans for Africa. After falling asleep drunk on an alpine pasture and enjoying the natural surroundings when he wakes, he returns to the farmhouse and announces that the family’s holiday is now officially in Tyrol. The family is delighted and eventually decides to come back the following year. Karin is less pleased with Stefan. The two cautiously begin a relationship, but she soon discovers that he is one of those who want to drive farmers off their land and demolish old houses to make way for modern housing developments. In fact, Consul Kersten’s intermediary, Türk, is already in the village making offers to farmers for their properties. Stefan’s view that he is merely carrying out plans for which he ultimately bears no responsibility changes when Peterl’s favourite goat falls into the hard-rock quarry and is badly injured. Stefan also learns from a farmer that there is equally good land for building in the valley as there is on the alpine pastures where the farmers live, but using it is not as profitable: houses in the valley’s alluvial plain would need deep foundations, whereas this would not be necessary in the mountains because of the rocky ground. So in the end, it is about saving money, not necessity. Stefan resigns to Consul Kersten, but Karin now sees him as a coward who is avoiding the problem. Finally, Madesperger saves the day: he goes to see Consul Kersten in Dortmund, persuades him that the building site in the valley is acceptable, and explains the importance of the old farmhouses. Kersten agrees to move the construction plans to the valley. Stefan keeps his job, and he and Karin can finally become a couple.