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47-468: Vorarlberg ( / ˈ f ɔːr ɑːr l b ɜːr ɡ / FOR -arl-burg ; Austrian German: [foːɐ̯ˈarlbɛrk] ; Vorarlbergisch : Vorarlbearg , Voralbärg , or Voraadelbearg ) is the westernmost state ( Land ) of Austria . It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest population density (also after Vienna). Two thirds of

94-466: A large extent mountainous. About 37% (97,000 hectares) of its surface is forest. Vorarlberg literally means 'before the Arl mountain '. The name Arl or Arlberg can be traced back to 1218 in various spellings (Arle, Arlen, Mons Arula, Arlenperge) and is derived from the numerous Arlen bushes there, the so-called mountain pines . Its nickname is Ländle ('small land'). The frame of reference for this

141-575: A nominal increase of 3.4% (cf Austria as a whole +5.2%). The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 19.1 billion € in 2018, accounting for 4.9% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €43,000 or 143% of the EU27 average in the same year. Vorarlberg is the state with the third highest GDP per capita in Austria. Vorarlberg and especially the Rhine Valley

188-643: A pass road ( Silvretta Hochalpenstraße at 2032 m). The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by glaciers . Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta". According to the Alpine Clubs , the Silvretta Alps are outlined from other groups by the following borders: St. Gallenkirch - Ill river as far as Partenen - Zeinisjoch - Zeinisbach - Paznauntal as far as Ischgl - Fimbertal - Fimber Pass - Val Chöglias - Val Sinestra - Inn River from

235-685: A proposal for the state to join the Swiss Confederation. However, the proposed union never took place. Within Switzerland, the Swiss French and Swiss Italians were reluctant to take in another German-speaking area, and Swiss Protestants were somewhat accepting to incorporating such a heavily Catholic area. Opposition came from outside Switzerland as well; for example, Italy wanted Switzerland to give up Ticino if there were any changes on Switzerland's eastern frontier. Vienna and

282-519: A share of 13% is Islam . 0.6% of Vorarlberg's inhabitants profess another religion, while 18.9% profess no affiliation with any religion or denomination. The historical population is given in the following chart: For several years, the Vorarlberg economy has been performing well above the Austrian average. At roughly 66 %, its export ratio is the highest among all of Austria’s states. While

329-686: A source of ideas and inspiration, as well as an initial contact with architecture for children. Current exhibitions: Vorarlberg is crossed in a north-south direction by a motorway , the Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn (A14). It connects with the Bundesautobahn 96 at the Austria–Germany border near Hörbranz and follows the Alpine Rhine Valley southwards to Feldkirch . It then continues south-eastwards along

376-464: A sustainable economy and tourism in the region and provides a platform for discussion about society, politics and science. The Biosphere Reserve Großes Walsertal has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2000. Biosphere reserves are the ecological counterpart of the cultural world heritage sites. The biosphere reserve's aim is sustainable development, education and research as well as the protection of natural diversity. The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park

423-525: Is Piz Buin , whose rocky peak of 3,312 m (10,866 ft) is surrounded by glaciers . The distance from Lake Constance and the plains of the Alpine Rhine valley across the medium altitude and high Alpine zones to the glaciers of the Silvretta range is a mere 90 km (56 mi). Lake Constance is bordered by Germany, Switzerland and Austria and is Austria's and Germany's largest lake. It

470-642: Is a cross-border nature park between the German Allgäu and the Austrian Bregenzerwald . The nature park is 24,700 hectares in size. It comprises a high level of biodiversity which is the result of Alpine transhumance (the cultivation of the land by humans) and the geological diversity. The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park offers guided hiking tours. Before the Romans conquered Vorarlberg, there were two Celtic tribes settled in this area:

517-565: Is a strong winter destination. Overnight-stays in winter reach as high as 5.11 million which is quite large when compared to the summer season with 3.7 million overnight stays. The largest (and best-known) touristic regions are: This is an incomplete list of hotels with a focus on architecture. For the complete list, go to Vacation + Architecture . In Vorarlberg, several public buildings for culture, tourism and leisure have been awarded with national and international prizes for architecture. Some of them are: The greatest tourist attractions are

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564-401: Is also the only state in Austria where the local dialect is not Austro-Bavarian , but rather an Alemannic dialect ; it therefore has much more in common culturally with (historically) Alemannic-speaking German-speaking Switzerland , Liechtenstein , Baden-Württemberg , Bavarian Swabia , and Alsace than with the rest of Austria , southeastern Bavaria , and South Tyrol . Vorarlberg is to

611-453: Is also the venue for the annual Bregenzer Festspiele . Vorarlberg is divided into four large districts, from north to south: Bregenz , Dornbirn , Feldkirch and Bludenz . These districts appear on the automobile license plates in form of abbreviations: B, DO, FK and BZ. The Biosphere Reserve Großes Walsertal covers about 19,200 ha and hosts 3,420 inhabitants and around 180 farms (42% of which are organic ). The reserve strives for

658-661: Is an alphabetical list of Vorarlberg's active railway stations : In addition, there are five defunct railway stations on the Arlberg Railway line: Braz , Dalaas , Hintergasse , Klösterle and Wald am Arlberg . The tourist industry employs a considerable number of Vorarlbergers. There are around 12,000 employees working in this industry which represent approximately 11% of the total workforce (107,575 in 2015). Arrivals are slightly higher in winter (1.23 million in 2015) than in summer (1.14 million in 2015). The real difference lies in overnight-stays indicating that Vorarlberg

705-424: Is an interface in the field of Baukultur . It brings together architects, other design professionals and clients with craftspeople and actors from business, academia, the arts, culture and politics and address the issue of architectural quality through exhibitions, events and publications. For professionals it is a platform for networking and training. For clients and all those interested in cultural issues it offers

752-421: Is known for its dairy products and tourism. The three-level movement farming ("Dreistufenwirtschaft") is essential to the economy of the mountainous regions in Vorarlberg. It is also known as Alpine transhumance and describes a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer. Alpine transhumance has a strong impact on the production of cheese in

799-1044: Is one of the wealthiest areas in the world, with a very high standard of living. By far the biggest company in Vorarlberg is Alpla (plastic packaging), followed by Blum , Grass, Gebrüder Weiss (transport and logistics), Zumtobel Group (lighting systems), Doppelmayr (cablecars), Rauch (beverages) and Wolford (textiles). Currently, five breweries are located in Vorarlberg: Mohrenbrauerei August Huber (in Dornbirn , since 1834), Brauerei Fohrenburg (in Bludenz , since 1881), Brauerei Egg (in Egg , since 1894), Vorarlberger Brauereigenosschenschaft – Brauerei Frastanz (in Frastanz , since 1902), Grabhers Sudwerk (in Bregenz , since 2016). Overall,

846-661: Is partly located in Tyrol ) are the two largest ski areas in Vorarlberg. Ski Arlberg is the largest connected ski area in Austria since the season of 2016/17. It offers 305 km of slopes and 111 lifts. It includes Lech, Zürs, Oberlech, Warth, Schröcken, Stuben and the Tyrolean municipalities of St. Anton and St. Christoph. Vorarlbergisch The High Alemannic dialects are spoken in Liechtenstein and in most of German-speaking Switzerland ( Swiss Plateau ), except for

893-514: Is the second most densely populated province in Austria after Vienna . With the conurbation between Feldkirch and Hörbranz , it has one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. Due to the early industrialization in comparison to other Austrian states, Vorarlberg developed into a classic immigration state as early as the 19th century. The state, which is small in terms of area, has the highest proportion of immigrants next to Vienna. In 2015, this

940-827: The Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (German: Fachhochschule Vorarlberg ) in Dornbirn and the University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg  [ de ] (German: Pädagogische Hochschule Vorarlberg ) in Feldkirch . Originally founded as technical school in 1989, the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences achieved status of an officially recognized university in 1999. It offers Bachelor's and master's degrees in business, engineering and technology, design and social work. About 1350 students have enrolled for

987-529: The Brünig-Napf-Reuss line across the cantons of Aargau and Lucerne ( Luzern ). Eastern High Alemannic includes Zurich German , Lucerne German, and the dialects of Eastern Switzerland . Western High Alemannic includes Bernese German , the German dialects of Solothurn and Fribourg, as well as most dialects of Aargau and the northern parts of the canton of Lucerne. The distinctive feature of

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1034-792: The Highest Alemannic dialects in the Swiss Alps and for the Low Alemannic ( Basel German ) dialect in the North West. Therefore, High Alemannic must not be confused with the term " Swiss German ", which refers to all Alemannic dialects of Switzerland as opposed to Swiss variant of Standard German , the literary language of diglossic German-speaking Switzerland. In Germany , High Alemannic dialects are spoken in Southern Baden-Württemberg , i.e.

1081-750: The Markgräflerland and in the adjacent area south of Freiburg im Breisgau up to the Black Forest ( Schönau ). It is also spoken in the southern Sundgau region beyond the Upper Rhine , which is part of Alsace , France . In Vorarlberg in Western Austria , a form of High Alemannic is spoken around the Rheintal as well. High Alemannic is traditionally subdivided in an Eastern and Western language area ( Sprachraum ), marked by

1128-695: The Raeti in the highlands, and the Vindelici in the lowlands, i.e. the Lake Constance region and the Rhine Valley. One of the important settlements of the Vindelici was Brigantion (modern Bregenz), founded around 500 BC. The first settlements in and around Bregenz date from 1500 BC. A Celtic tribe named "Brigantii" is mentioned by Strabo as a sub-tribe in these region of the Alps. The area of Vorarlberg

1175-1088: The St. Margrethen–Lauterach line , which leads towards Switzerland. In Feldkirch, the main line meets the Feldkirch–Buchs railway line to Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The Vorarlberg railway line's southern terminus is Bludenz , where it meets the Arlberg Railway to Tyrol and the Bludenz–Schruns railway ( Montafonerbahn ) line to Schruns in the Montafon Valley . Most of these lines are owned and operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). Since December 2023, WESTbahn also operates between Wien Westbahnhof and Bregenz. Regional train services are provided by Vorarlberg S-Bahn , with some lines being also part of Bodensee S-Bahn . There are also two heritage railway lines: Bregenz Forest Railway and International Rhine Regulation Railway . The following

1222-578: The Allies also objected, out of concern for the balance of power in central Europe. The government of Vorarlberg opposed union with Switzerland, but began half-hearted negotiations with Bern after the overwhelming result of the referendum. When it became apparent that the Swiss were lukewarm at best to absorbing Vorarlberg as well, Vorarlberg remained with Austria. If Vorarlberg had joined Switzerland, then Liechtenstein would have been enclaved by Switzerland, like

1269-427: The Alps. It ensures that the cattle produces high-quality aromatic milk, the so-called Heumilch ("hay milk"), based on its special diet of natural meadow grass in comparison to silage . The use of hay milk in cheese production contributes to the distinctive flavour that determines more than 30 Alpine cheeses, including Vorarlberger Alpkäse , Vorarlberger Bergkäse , Großwalsertaler Bergkäse , and Sura Kees . With

1316-668: The High Alemannic dialects is the completion of the High German consonant shift , for instance chalt [xalt] 'cold' vs. Low Alemannic and standard German 'kalt' [kʰalt] . Silvretta The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol , Vorarlberg (both in Austria ) and Graubünden ( Switzerland ). The Austrian states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by

1363-798: The Rhine), the Rhine (forming the border with Switzerland ), the Bregenzer Ache and the Dornbirner Ach . One of the shortest rivers is the Galina . Important lakes , apart from Lake Constance are Lüner Lake , Silvretta Reservoir , Vermunt Lake , Spuller Lake , the Kops Basin and Formarin Lake ; the first four were created for the production of hydroelectric energy . However, even before

1410-552: The aim to support and preserve the local dairy production and the traditional agricultural heritage, the Bregenzerwald Cheese Route was founded in 1998. It is an organisation which connects farmers, traders and craftsmen. Along the cheese route, visitors are invited to watch the cheese production process and participate in culinary tastings. Many cultural habits like Yodel , Alphorn or Schwingen were developed during this time. This seasonal nomadism led to

1457-464: The country are situated above 1,000m. It borders three countries: Germany ( Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg via Lake Constance ), Switzerland ( Grisons and St. Gallen ), and Liechtenstein . The only Austrian state that shares a border with Vorarlberg is Tyrol , to the east. The capital of Vorarlberg is Bregenz (29,698 inhabitants), although Dornbirn (49,845 inhabitants) and Feldkirch (34,192 inhabitants) have larger populations . Vorarlberg

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1504-689: The dam for the power plant was built, Lüner Lake was the largest mountain lake in the Alps. Most of this hydroelectric energy is exported to Germany at peak times. At night, energy from power plants in Germany is used to pump water back into some of the lakes. There are several notable mountain ranges in Vorarlberg, such as the Silvretta , the Rätikon , the Verwall and the Arlberg with many well-known skiing regions and ski resorts . The tallest mountain

1551-476: The economic expansion of Vorarlberg is "very positive and for the future rated more dynamic than for the other states". Vorarlberg plans to be self-sufficient in energy by 2050. In addition to the flourishing textile, clothing, electronics, machinery and packing materials industries of the Alpine Rhine Valley , there is also a broad agricultural base, especially in the Bregenzerwald (Bregenzerwald), which

1598-405: The mountains and the numerous ski resorts . In the cold season, winter sports enthusiasts will find ideal conditions for their favourite sport: skiing , cross country skiing , freeriding , snowboarding , ice skating , sled dog rides, carriage rides, tobogganing , snow and fun parks . Vorarlberg's largest ski resorts include: The ski resorts Silvretta Montafon and Ski Arlberg (which

1645-533: The mouth of the Branclabach to the mouth of the Susasca - Val Susasca - Flüela Pass - Davos - Wolfgang - Laretbach - Klosters - Schlappinbach - Schlappiner Joch - Valzifensbach - Gargellental - St. Gallenkirch . The Silvretta Alps are surrounded by the Rätikon , Verwall , Samnaun , Sesvenna , Albula and Plessur ranges. The Piz Buin is not the highest, but the most popular peak of

1692-588: The overall Austrian GDP in 2004 rose by 2.0% in real terms, Vorarlberg recorded an increase of 2.9%. This came as a surprise, particularly as the major trading partners in Germany and Italy did not fare well. Owing to this robust economic performance, Vorarlberg was able to boost its gross regional product in 2014 to 15.2 billion euros according to the Economic Policy Department of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Trade. This translates into

1739-521: The production of peak current. Vorarlberg was the first region in Europe where more sustainable energy was produced than consumed. Green electricity from Vorarlberg is therefore also sold to the German Westallgäu, to Switzerland and to other Austrian provinces. The largest electricity producer in Vorarlberg is Illwerke AG . They produce 75% of the electricity in Vorarlberg, mainly by hydropower. Two higher education institutions in Vorarlberg are

1786-464: The range. It can relatively easily be ascended from north or south through glaciers and stretches of easy climbing. The Silvretta is famous for its skiing especially its many backcountry skiing possibilities. In the 1920s Ernest Hemingway was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at Schruns in Montafon , Austria ). Later, he wrote a couple of short stories about his skiing experiences in

1833-403: The rich culture, architecture and love for nature found in Vorarlberg. A significant cultural icon unique to this area is the festive movement of cattle from the pastures to the villages in autumn. This tradition is especially popular with tourists. The energy sector is one of the founders of Vorarlberg's economy, in which hydropower is the most important source of energy. This is mainly used for

1880-680: The river Ill to Bludenz , where it connects with the Arlberg Schnellstraße (S16) to Tyrol over the Arlberg . The A14 is linked with the A13 motorway in Switzerland via a road that crosses the Austria-Switzerland border at Lustenau / Au . The main line is the Vorarlberg railway line, which traverses the state in north-south direction and which extends northwards into Germany. South of Bregenz , it connects with

1927-481: The situation of Lesotho , San Marino and Vatican City . Following the Second World War Vorarlberg found itself occupied by French troops from 1945 to 1955, along with most of the state of Tyrol . The population of Vorarlberg is 397,094 (as of 1 January 2020). The majority (86%) of residents are of Austrian-Germanic stock with a cultural connection with Switzerland and Liechtenstein to

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1974-469: The term 2018/19. The Fachhochschule Vorarlberg is considered one of Austria's best applied universities in the field of technology. The University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg was founded in 2007 and offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in primary and secondary education. It also administers its own elementary and middle school, in which students from the university can complete their student teaching. The vai Vorarlberger Architektur Institut

2021-475: The west and Germany to the north. A sizable proportion of the population's ancestors came from the Swiss canton of Valais in migrations of " Walsers ", including the Swiss French in the 19th century by invitation during the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire . There has been a sizable minority of Turkish descent since the 1960s. With around 150 inhabitants per square kilometer, Vorarlberg

2068-536: Was a gathering-together of former bishoprics , was still ruled in part by a few semi-autonomous counts and surviving prince-bishops until the start of World War I . Vorarlberg was a part of Further Austria , and parts of the area were ruled by the Counts Montfort of Vorarlberg . Following World War I there was a desire by many in Vorarlberg to join Switzerland. In the Vorarlberg annexation referendum held on 11 May 1919, 80.75% of those voting supported

2115-514: Was around 16% of the total population. Residents of German origin make up the largest migrant group, closely followed by immigrants from Turkey . People from countries of the former Yugoslavia are by far the third-largest immigrant group in Vorarlberg. According to 2021 figures of Statistics Austria , 60.7% of the population are Catholic , and 7.6% are followers of other Christian denominations (3.8% Orthodox Christians , 2.5% Protestants , 1.3% other Christians). The second-largest religion, with

2162-844: Was conquered by the Romans in 15 BC and it became part of the Roman province of Raetia . It was later conquered by Allemanic tribes in c. 450 AD. It then fell under the rule of the Bavarians and was subsequently settled by the Bavarians and the Lombards . It later fell under the rule of the Counts of Bregenz until 1160 and then to the Counts of Montfort until 1525, when the Habsburgs took control. The historically-Germanic province, which

2209-531: Was the much larger and more populous County of Tyrol , from which the small district west of the Arlberg tried to detach itself. In 1861, Vorarlberg was finally raised to a crown land with its own state parliament. On the way to the detachment from Tyrol, the identification with the 'Ländle' remained of great importance. The main rivers in Vorarlberg are the Ill (running through the Montafon and Walgau valleys into

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