6850 Fulfilling - Bodensee Vorarlberg
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6850
Enigmatic! dornbirn.info
Dornbirn’s tales of pears
and other things #09
Peaking!
The most beautiful Alps
around and above town
Cosy!
DORNBIRN Creative artists show us
CIT Y GUIDE 2018 their favourite spots
Fulfilling
IN DORNBIRN, EVERYONE FINDS
THEIR ELDORADO!
Was zählt,
sind die Menschen.
Unser Land
braucht
Menschen,
die an sich
glauben.
Und
eine Bank,
die an sie
glaubt.
#glaubandich
6850 — EDITORIAL
DORNBIRN, AS IT
LIVES AND BREATHES
What do you think about when you think of Dornbirn? including snack offers (fluid and solid). Our sightseeing
Urban culture? A nice meal? Long party nights? Shopping offers lead you to going high up, through deep gorges and
and cosy cafés? Or family outings in the countryside? to admire covered places of interest. There are also good
Dornbirn offers all this in abundance and to the tried and tips for those who just need some exercise or sport activi-
tested gems of city life, there are always combinations of ty on the spur of the moment. The cultural section of the 03
new locations and inspiration. magazine is very much in the spirit of the place and space
Beginning with a small section about Dornbirn’s his- as well as those who think, who work and are connected
tory and curiosities such as the big error about the pears personally. It is about the exciting but not always easy
or the fact that one Dornbirn emigrant became one of work of young architects and the great importance of
America’s most important financial moguls. Straight to space for the urban attitude to life, reports Verena Kon-
the present with original impressions of the stylistically rad from the Vorarlberg Institute of Architecture, who
confident and dynamic Dornbirn fashion scene. “Mix and is the curator of the Austria Pavilion of the Architecture
match” of the highest standard is maybe a good summa- Biennial in Venice this year. Artists and creative artists
ry. Genuine originals are the passionate “DIY enthusi- tell us under the motto of “favourite place” where they
asts” with dedicated virtuosity from coffee bean roasting always go to in Dornbirn. Really opulent is the numer-
to forging, cherishing their handicrafts, newly interpret- ous cafés, restaurants, bars and clubs, from the breakfast
ed and further developed. They, as well as their products Croissant to wining and dining, fantasy drinks and to
are “Made in Dornbirn”. sweat it all out, everything what the urban heart desires.
Out of the city (but not out of Dornbirn) are our Connoisseurs and explorers will have just as much enjoy-
guiding tips for passionate hikers and lovers of the coun- ment following our forays through the culinary domains
tryside. A total of 42 alps encompasses the municipal and Dornbirn’s night life: Have fun reading, trying things
area! Five really beautiful alps are presented this time out and enjoying Dornbirn!
IMPRINT
Responsible for contents Dornbirn Tourismus & Stadtmarketing GmbH, Rathausplatz 1a, Dornbirn, tourismus@dornbirn.at, dornbirn.info,
T +43 5572 22188 Concept & Design Werbeagentur IRR, Dornbirn, irr.at Art Direction Clemens Hinteregger Authors Eva Fischer,
Miriam Jaeneke, Verena Konrad, Annette Raschner, Barbara Schmiedehausen, Nicola Tyre, Daniel Zauser Photography Adolf Bereuter,
Markus Gmeiner, Christoph Pallinger, Darko Todorovic, Dornbirn Tourismus & Stadtmarketing, Mary Rose Illustrations Clemens Hinteregger
Styling Stefanie Lingg Translation Matthew Buckley Print Vorarlberger Verlagsanstalt. Misprints and printing errors reserved.
Row seating Banqueting Parliamentary Exhibition area
Large auditorium | 474 people Large auditorium | 320 people Large auditorium | 214 people Large auditorium | 387 m²
Gallery extra | 256 people Gallery extra | 136 people Gallery extra | 108 people Foyer | 575 m²
Total | 730 people Small extension | 54 people Total | 322 people Garden foyer | 360 m²
Small auditorium | 222 people Large extension | 96 people Small auditorium | 82 people Total | 1322 m²
Total | 586 people
Small auditorium | 160 people
A stage that is available for music,
theatre, poetry and cabaret.
For seminars, exhibitions and symposiums.
Open house for event organisers
in a wide variety of genres.
A meeting place for audiences with a variety of interests.
A hub and focal point of contemporary art and culture.
Top quality in every respect – state-of-the-art lighting,
image and sound technology and superb catering.
Kulturhaus Dornbirn | Rathausplatz 1 | 6850 Dornbirn | T +43 5572 27770 | kulturhaus@dornbirn.at | www.kulturhaus-dornbirn.at
6850 — SERVICE
WELCOME TO
DORNBIRN
Dornbirn is located at an altitude of 437 m and as a city schlucht, one of the biggest gorges in Central Europe, and
has the highest population of nearly 49,000 in Vorarl- the idyllic Walser village of Ebnit are unique attractions.
berg. The very different characterised districts of Markt,
Hatlerdorf, Oberdorf, Haselstauden, Rohrbach and Dornbirn Tourismus & Stadtmarketing — We are happy
Schoren are residential, business and educational local- to advise you and will help you to put the ideal package
ities with high standards of living. The business centres together, or to give you individual tips for your stay in
are located in the inner city as well as the trade- and in- Dornbirn. We are your partner when it’s about Dornbirn.
dustrial parks of Fischbach, Kehlerpark, Rhombergs Fab- 05
rik, Schwefel, Steinebach and Wallenmahd. v-ticket — You can book online round the clock event
The city centre is mainly dominated with attractive tickets for the whole of Vorarlberg, conveniently and in-
shops and localities for night owls: numerous shops, a expensive. Naturally you can also book your tickets from
huge variety of gastronomy for all tastes and a colourful one of our booking offices. Our employees make every
calendar of events livening the Marktplatz and the big effort to ensure with expert knowledge and valuable ex-
pedestrian area, which has been free of traffic for 28 years perience to find the right seating for you.
now. In the past decades, an internationally known busi-
ness location has developed in the city’s south-west. Here Everything online — At dornbirn.info you will find all
is also the modern extended trade exhibition centre for the information about hotels and reservations, tourist
exhibitions and events and Vorarlberg’s biggest shopping attractions, events and tickets. Also, you will find all the
centre Messepark and well-known trading enterprises. Dornbirn shops, pubs, restaurants and bars as well as
The meeting of city and countryside has made Dorn- cultural information and news.
birn into a tourist attraction. Over 304,000 overnight
stays were registered in the tourist year of 2017. Ex- V-Parking — pay your parking fees via mobile phone.
tensive forests, reed lands and mountains peaking over Through accurate billing (feat. Start-/stop function) you
2,000 meters, pastures and alps are all in the 121-sq. km will no longer pay unnecessary fees or fines. Register
Dornbirn municipal area. The impressive Rappenloch- now, free of charge, on v-parking.at
SERVICE
Dornbirn Tourismus & Stadtmarketing Rathausplatz 1a, 6850 Dornbirn, T +43 5572 22188, F +43 5572 31233
tourismus@dornbirn.at, dornbirn.info, facebook.com/dornbirn6850, instagram.com/6850dornbirn, Mon to Fri 9 am to 6 pm, Sat 9 am to 12 am
Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourismus T +43 5574 434430, F +43 5574 43443-4
office@bodensee-vorarlberg.com, bodensee-vorarlberg.com, Mon to Sat 8 am to 6 pm
v-ticket Rathausplatz 1a, T +43 5572 22188, F +43 5572 31233, tourismus@dornbirn.at, v-ticket.at
Bodensee-Vorarlberg
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Children and young people (6-15 years) each pay half.
Children aged up to 5 years go free provided they are
accompanied by an adult.
The Bodensee-Vorarlberg Leisure Card is available at
Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourism and selected partner
hotels and tourist centres such as Dornbirn tourism.
Information, brochures, and booking service
Contact Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourismus also for your reser-
vation or more information about your trip to the region.
Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourismus
P.O.Box 9, 6901 Bregenz, Austria; Mon to Sat 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
T +43 (5574) 43443-0; office@bodensee-vorarlberg.com
www.bodensee-vorarlberg.com
www.facebook.com/BodenseeVorarlberg
6850 — CONTENT
TABLE OF CONTENT
Dornbirn Tales — 08 40 — City landscapes
Curious and unique tales about Dornbirn. New outlooks and insights, new paths.
Insight Architecture
Dresscode 6850 — 14 45 — Favourites
The fashion Mecca Dornbirn has a lot to offer. Young creative artist show us their top spots.
Shopping Arts & Culture
Mountain hiking — 22 56 — A Bloggers Guide to the Galaxy
Food for the soul and for the belly. Eating out with Nicola Tyre.
Leisure Food & Drink
On your marks, Dornbirn! — 28 64 — The realm of beauty
Leisure tips for amateur athletes. Lifestyle and sensuality with responsibility.
Leisure Leisure
Discover Dornbirn! — 34 66 — Made in Dornbirn
Destinations for all eventualities. Because we can and because we are good at it.
Leisure Shopping 07
Common sense and innovation — 38 74 — Eva’s Blog Party
Visiting three young architectural firms. Eva Fischer explores Dornbirn’s nightlife.
Architecture Food & Drink
Dornbirn is colourful, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, With this current edition of our city magazine ‘6850’ –
and above all unique in its variety. The people of Dorn- this is the postcode of our city by the way – we want to
birn are renowned for their freedom of spirit and gregari- familiarise you with some of the special qualities of our
ousness. It is probably for this reason that more and more city and take you on a small guided tour. However, it is
people come to visit our city – some to shop, some to best if you explore the city yourself – there is a lot to see
enjoy the cultural and leisure activities that are on offer. and even more to experience. We look forward to your
Those people staying for a longer period in our city have visit; welcome to Dornbirn.
the opportunity of experiencing Dornbirn hospitality,
which is really excellent. Andrea Kaufmann, Mayoress
6850 — INSIGHT
DORNBIRN TALES
TEXT Daniel Zauser
Dornbirn has many unique and curious tales to tell. What is striking
is that the bizarre and whimsical often needs a little distance in
order to be perceived as such, whether this distance is historical,
geographical or merely down to the eye of the beholder. In the
following we present a colourful mix of peculiar stories about
Dornbirn and the people of Dornbirn, which are rooted in history
08 and bloom to this day.
We give special thanks to Werner Matt from the Dornbirn city
archive and Martin Rhomberg. The main literature sources are the
Dornbirn Lesebuch (published by Ulrich Gabriel and Werner Matt),
”Von Dornbirn in die neue Welt“ by Meinrad Pichler and numerous
editions of Dornbirner Schriften.
6850 — INSIGHT
09
THE THING WITH THE PEARS
The fact that Dornbirn’s coat of arms bears a pear tree is first appears in a St. Gallen charter from the year 895 as
the result of a linguistic misunderstanding dating back ‘Torrinpuirron’, which means ‘settlement of the Torro’.
to the 17th century. The Habsburgs, finding themselves The end part of this name, which over the centuries has
somewhat stretched financially as a result of the 30-years evolved to ‘-burron’, ‘-büren’, ‘-beuren’, ‘-biern’ and finally
war, decided in 1655 to sell the Dornbirn court to Count to ‘-birn’, therefore means ‘settlement’ and has nothing
Karl Friedrich von Hohenems. The contract had already to do with the word ‘Birne’, which is German for pear, the
been signed, however the people of Dornbirn were not fruit. Dornbirn remained in possession of the Habsburgs
at all happy. They were so horror-stricken by the idea of and the pear tree on the coat of arms, together with the
the impending dominion under Hohenems rule that, on numerous juicy fruits it bears, seems to have pleased all
the day of the hand-over, there was a veritable popular those involved. Who the middle-age people of the ‘Torro’
uprising and Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Tirol was called were – well, nobody seems to know that to this day.
upon to dissolve the contract. PS: With regard to the rumour that the number of
To this end Dornbirn offered the Archduke a loan of pears on the tree is of significance – i.e. that it is a refer-
8,000 guilder – and issued a demand, amongst others, for ence to the number of districts in Dornbirn – this isn’t
its own coat of arms. The court chancellery in Innsbruck true. The city has 6 districts today, and with only 5 fruits
did not know the origin of the name ‘Dornbirn’, which on the tree there is a shortage of pears.
6850 — INSIGHT
THE FIRST PERMANENT CINEMATOGRAPH
After several years of showing the very earliest film pres- in Bahnhofstraße (from 1912) and then in the Weltlicht-
entations in large halls or tents during annual markets spiele in Schulgasse, which opened in 1936 and remained
or travelling circuses, Vorarlberg’s first dedicated cine- in operation until 2011. Despite the great death of the
ma hall, or cinematograph, with a daily programme was cinema since the turn of the millennium, the film culture
opened on Marktplatz by Johann Senorer in 1910. It is still alive and kicking in Dornbirn. Fans of film can
was the first to open only by a whisker, because a mere still enjoy genuine cinematic treats that set themselves
two months later the town of Feldkirch followed suit. apart from the modern generic superhero miscellany in
But nonetheless. The successor to the cinematograph the programmes put together by the Filmclub Dornbirn
followed a short time later in the form of the Weltkino at Cinema 2000 and at the Spielbodenkino.
10
THE TALE OF THE DEAR COW AND THE SCHNAPPS
Dornbirn’s cows have not been driven away by indus- farm and the number of employees. By all accounts it
trialisation, nor by urbanisation. To this day Dornbirn was the case in Dornbirn that the permitted amount of
is – and with an increasing tendency – the Vorarlberg alcohol was determined not only on the number of farm
municipality with the most cows. In the year 2015 there employees, rather the number of cows on the farm was
were 3,757, compared to 2,666 cows in the year 1970. also included in calculations on the permitted amount
Another fact that people, not part of the agricultural of alcohol that a farmer could produce. The importance
community, do not know is that schnapps was and still is of the well-being of the cattle of Dornbirn is also demon-
a traditional home remedy for the treatment of any com- strated by an article that appeared in the Vorarlberger
plaint, above all flatulence, diarrhoea, colds and fevers, Volksblatt of 10 July 1902. After an automobile race held
however also for the strengthening of cows after calving. at that time along the former Reichsstraße, the cows
For this reason the privilege of the ‘farm distillery’ was housed in the adjacent stalls took an entire three days to
introduced in the year 1835, which permitted farmers recover from the shock caused by the unfamiliar roar of
to produce alcohol tax-free from their own fruit harvest, the car engines. Faced with this awful situation, perhaps
the amount of which was dependent on the size of the a schnapps or two may have helped them.6850 — INSIGHT
100 DIFFERENT LETTERS WERE NECESSARY …
… in order to adequately express in writing the profuse pronunciation of the numbers 2 and 3. In respect of this,
dialect of the people of Dornbirn. This was in any case Armin Diem pointed out in the preface to his book Dorn-
the opinion of Eugen Gabriel in 1997. The basis for this birner Heimatbuch in alemannischer Mundart the devi-
estimate was a thorough study of the works of the Dorn- ations in pronunciation depending on the gender and
birn-dialect poet Armin Diem, whose textualizations case of the noun that is qualified. With masculine nouns,
were praised due to the confined circumstances under the number 2 is pronounced ‘zwio’, with feminine nouns
which they were written: “Our alphabet has 24 [sic!] let- ‘zwo’ and with neuter nouns ‘zwoa’. In the third case de-
ters, necessary would have been more than 100!” Howev- clension ‘zwai’ or also ‘zwoi’. The number 3 is relatively
er, the introduction of a special Dornbirn alphabet would straightforward in comparison: with both masculine and
not be very sensible, Gabriel suggested, because: “This feminine nouns it remains as in written German ‘drei’,
would have such an unusual type face that nobody would however in the case of neuter nouns the pronunciation
be able to read a word; in any case no normal printer changes to ‘drü’. This means: prick up your ears and listen
would have such an abundance of special characters”. carefully to whether the modern-day Dornbirner still ad-
There is also a particular peculiarity with regard to the heres to these singularities of Dornbirn dialect.
11
THE FIRST SKI LIFT IN THE ALPS
Although the Bödele politically belongs to the com- events and the popularity of the growing sport of skiing
mune of Schwarzenberg, it was pioneers from Dornbirn obviously inspired the two Dornbirn-based engineers
who put in place the prerequisites for skiing. Where the Hugo Rhomberg and Alfred Rüsch to construct an as-
Lankschanze ski jump sits today, the first ski jump was cent assistance mechanism. The toboggan lift first used
created in 1904 on heaped up mounds. And in 1906 in the winter of 1907/08 was the first mechanical ski lift
the first official ski race in Vorarlberg took place on the anywhere in the entire Alpine region. It was driven by a
Bödele with hundreds of spectators. This was described 5-horsepower combustion engine and had a capacity of
in the Dornbirner Schriften (no. 32, 2006) as “a combi- 40 people per hour.
nation of downhill race and jump competition”. These6850 — INSIGHT
A RHOMBERG AVENUE IN IOWA?
Josef Andrä Rhomberg, known in America simply as the American Civil War, Joe Rhomberg concentrated on
Joe, emigrated in the mid-1850s to the faraway town of wholesaling in schnapps; he founded his own distillery
Dubuque in Iowa, where the elegant Rhomberg Avenue and a brewery. As a result of the community of Dorn-
reminds us of him to this present day. At the beginning birners already established there as of the mid-1850s,
he opened the most successful saloon in Dubuque. His Dubuque became destination number 1 in America for
marketing idea: with every whiskey you get a free cigar. most people emigrating there from Dornbirn. As a result
With this strategy Rhomberg quickly became one of the the town became the largest foreign Dornbirner commu-
richest citizens of the town. From 1865, after the end of nity and since 2013 Dubuque is a twin town of Dornbirn.
12
THE DREXEL FAMILY: BANKERS,
UNIVERSITY FOUNDERS AND SAINTS
One Dornbirner who emigrated as early as 1817 was ica. Drexel’s son Anthony Joseph made Jean Pierpont
Franz Martin Drexel, whose experiences in America re- Morgan a partner and head of the New York branch and
ally were an adventure, starting with his arrival in Phil- was, according to Meinrad Pichler, until his death one
adelphia. After all kinds of exploits, which took him of the most powerful bankers in America. Additional-
amongst other places to Latin America as an unsuccess- ly, he also founded the ‘Drexel Institute of Art, Science
ful portrait painter, Drexel returned to Philadelphia in and Industry’, the predecessor to the highly successful
1837 and opened a highly successful bureau of exchange and respected ‘Drexel University’ in Philadelphia. But it
for the, at that time, highly diverse bank notes issued by gets even better: Katharine Drexel, a granddaughter of
the various American banks. Benefiting from the gold Franz Martin, used her substantial inheritance for be-
rush and the American Civil War, as well as from the im- nevolent societal causes and missionary works and was
mense sums required for the construction of the Amer- canonised by the Vatican in the year 2000! In 2010 the
ican railroads, Drexel’s bank grew by the 1870s into one baptistery in Hatlerdorf was consecrated and renamed
of the most successful financial institutions in Amer- the Katharine Drexel Chapel.6850 — PR
DIGITAL BANKING WITH RAIFFEISEN
Internet banking and making payments using your debit card are hardly worth
mentioning anymore. Payments via NFC or apps and digital debit cards
are becoming more and more popular. Much more is still to come and Raiffeisen
is spearheading digital banking.
13
Banking has changed dramatically and is becoming fast- transfers or balance limits keep you well informed and
er and easier. Money transfers are made with a click of prevent inconvenient surprises. Payment slip scanning
your mouse and a quick peek at the account balance is and the ability to use prefilled templates reduce transcrip-
just a finger tap away. Raiffeisen provides state of the art tion errors and make banking easier and faster as well.
features that customers need: “Mein ELBA” for desktop That’s digital banking made by Raiffeisen.
and laptop, smart phone apps and widgets for their cell
phone. Digital debit cards and the payment app “Blue- On the internet and on site — Raiffeisen is where its
code” have been rolled out recently. customers are. On the internet with websites, presences
on social media and innovations like our crowdfunding
Improving the banking experience — The design philos- platform “Mit.Einander” that transfers the ideas of real
ophy is simple: Useful, not just shiny. It’s important to life cooperatives to the digital world and helps regional
build applications that improve and enhance the banking initiatives fund their ideas.
experience. Digital banking has to be fast, easy and safe. Some financial affairs are best taken care of face to
Therefore usability and safety are the cornerstones for face. So Raiffeisen is present on site in Dornbirn and Lus-
Raiffeisen in developing new digital features. tenau as well. For all your financial needs from everyday
life to financing, private banking or business affairs. Now
Developments continues — Digital banking is devel- and in the future.
oping and improving on a daily basis. New cell phone
features like fingerprint recognition are thoroughly val- Raiffeisenbank Im Rheintal
idated and put to use. Cell phone widgets allow a quick Rathausplatz 8, T +43 5572 38180
peek at your account balance – even without logging in if rheintal@raiba.at, raibaimrheintal.at
you choose so. Safety features like text alerts for money6850 — SHOPPING
DRESSCODE 6850
TEXT Daniel Zauser
14
Clothes make the man (and of course the woman), as – they call them ‘fashion victims’, who always want to be
the phrase goes. However, people must first make the the first, the only, the most special. Perpetual trendset-
clothes. And then there are those who, with an eye for ters, constantly reinventing themselves as soon as the
quality and good taste, carefully select what they wish to trend actually reaches the masses. By contrast, at the
offer to their customers. This applies equally to trendy other end of the spectrum are those who only consider
sneakers right through to elegant evening wear includ- buying something new when their clothes reach an ap-
ing accessories. What is pleasing, popular and establishes propriate degree of threadbareness or colour fade, and
itself, this becomes fashion. even then indignantly.
The ancient aphorism vita brevis, ars longa [life is Irrespective of which type you are, on the following
short, art is long] had to be re-coined many years ago pages you will find an inspiring selection of what the
for the fashion industry: vita brevis, ornatus breviores – fashion paradise of Dornbirn has to offer, whether you
life is short, fashion is shorter. And the world of fashion merely want to spice up your own personal style or invest
has also for many years spawned its own breed of nerds in a complete change of fashion. Read, enjoy, amaze!
Rust colored dress from LIVID • Short boots from SCHUHBAR • Bag from TASCHE & CO
Jewellery from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK6850 — SHOPPING
156850 — SHOPPING
16
Left Blazer, trousers, top & belt from KÖNIGSTÖCHTER • Backpack from TASCHE & CO
Jewellery & glasses from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK • Shoes from SCHUHBAR
Right Dress from LINGG • Diamonds from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK6850 — SHOPPING
176850 — SHOPPING 18
6850 — SHOPPING
19
Left Blouse, skirt, vinyl sneakers & coat from LINGG • Glasses & ring from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK
Right Coat, sweater, trousers & bag from SAGMEISTER • Ring from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK6850 — SHOPPING
20
Sweater & jeans from C.R.A.F.T. • Bag from TASCHE & CO • Boots from SCHUHBAR
Diamond necklace from PRÄG JUWELEN UHREN OPTIK22.06. BIS 24.08.
FR 22.06. LÄNGSTER TAG DER BLASMUSIK FR 29.07. BSUNDRIGS AM MARKTPLATZ FR 29.06. SILENT DISCO
FR 06.07. & SA 07.07. WM (VIERTELFINALE) DI 10.07. & MI 11.07. WM (HALBFINALE) FR 13.07. NIC & KREVATIN
SA 14.07.
WM (KLEINES FINALE) SO 15.07. WM (FINALE) DO 19.07. BIS SA 21.07. ORIGANO FESTIVAL
DO 26.07. & FR 27.07.
LAURENZ – MEET & EAT FR 03.08. EISFESTIVAL & ACOUSTIC PROJECT
SA 04.08. SILENT CINEMA FR 10.08. NACHTFLOHMARKT SA 11.08., FR 17.08. & SA 18.08. SILENT CINEMA
FR 24.08. SOMMERLEBEN ABSCHLUSSKONZERT
/dornbirn6850 /6850dornbirn AM MARKTPLATZ IST PROGRAMM6850 — LEISURE 22
6850 — LEISURE
Mountain hiking —
food for the soul and
for the belly
TEXT Miriam Jaeneke
Who would have thought it? There are 42 alps in the region of Dornbirn, from A,
as in Ammenegg, to W, as in Weißenfluh. A lot? It certainly is. We have selected five of
these and will tell you how to get there and what you can expect to be rewarded
with. For the hiker the hike is both physical exercise and of benefit to the soul, however
for the mountain folk it means hard work every day – especially when it comes
to taking care of their guests. So it is not only the destination that is the goal, the lunch
break at the top also offers plenty to look forward to.
23
Schwende Alpe
With Watzenegg as your starting point, walk in the di- are also plenty of homemade cakes and flans, as well as
rection of Palmern. You will reach the summit of the local classics such as ‘Lumpensalat’ [sausage/cheese sal-
Schwendealpe after approximately 40 minutes. This mod- ad]. They can also cook you some ‘Kässpätzle, [cheese
erately difficult hike will take you up to an elevation of pasta], however only if ordered in advance.
910 metres above sea level. The reward for your efforts
is not only the princely views, that is at least for those level of difficulty moderate
reaching the summit after half past eight in the morning time 32 min
between the end of April and the beginning of Novem- distance 1,38 km
ber. The chalet-style restaurant at the summit prepares altitude 210 m
‘Most’ [apple/pear cider] especially for its guests. There6850 — LEISURE
24
Kobel Alpe
The summit of the Kobel Alpe lies 973 metres above sea cheese, or ‘Käsknöpfle’ [cheese pasta] when ordered in
level. From the direction of Gütle it can be reached either advance. The hut restaurant is open Wednesdays to Fri-
via Niedere, Durchstich and Dannerbruck, with experi- days from midday and for as long as guests are there. At
enced hikers turning left to the Kobel after the fork in the weekends it is open from 10 a.m. Between 1 October and
road. Alternatively, the destination can also be reached by 1 May the ‘Alpe’ is open on Fridays as well as weekends.
simply carrying straight on along the road. This moder-
ately difficult hike will take approximately 50 minutes via level of difficulty moderate
Niedere and Metzgers Köbele to the Kobel. To eat when time 53 min
you arrive are classic local dishes such as ‘Brettljause’ distance 2,84 km
[sausage, ham and cheese], a cheese platter with goats’ altitude 230 m6850 — LEISURE
Lustenauer Hütte
The Lustenauer Hütte is located above Schwarzenberg. to find dishes such as juicy schnitzel with salad or baked
It is reachable in about an hour by foot from the Älpele Alpine rösti with bacon and gratinated mountain cheese.
car park on the Bödele. The Spechtweg hiking trail takes The ‘Hütte’ is open from Tuesday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 5
you in the direction of the Hämmerlealp and past a small p.m.; it is closed in November and April.
moor land lake. It is not far now to the summit, at a
height of 1,250 metres and complete with the Lustenauer level of difficulty moderate
Hütte, a chalet-style restaurant. Most hikers reward time 1:08 min
themselves with a refreshing local Mohren beer or a spar- distance 4,09 km
kling apple juice. To keep hunger at bay you can expect altitude 150 m
256850 — LEISURE
Pfarrers Älpele
The starting point for this approximately 15-20 minute ‘slaughter party’, a treat for meat-lovers. In addition to
walk is the church in Ebnit. After about quarter of an the standard menu there are also daily specials such as
hour hikers are rewarded with a fantastic view of moun- roast pork with cabbage and dumplings, goulash or ‘Beus-
tains covered in forest and mountain ledges and ridges. chel’, a traditional offal dish.
Right in the centre lies the Alpine chalet restaurant Pfar-
rers Älpele, at a height of 1,270 metres above sea level. It level of difficulty easy
is open from May to October every day except Wednes- time 22 min
days, and in the off-season except Wednesdays, Thurs- distance 1,15 km
days and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Kässpätzle are altitude 130 m
served up for groups, in the autumn there is a traditional
266850 — LEISURE
27
Ilgenwald Alpe
Ebnit is also the starting point for this approximately with a glass of homemade ‘Most’ [cider]. The ‘Alpe’ is
one-hour hike. Head off past the former Gasthaus Fre- open in summer from June to September, open from
schen in the direction of the Ach. On the way, before 10am for as long as guests are there.
reaching the Ilgenwald Alpe, you will also pass Ebensand.
The ‘Alpe’ small but picturesque and secluded chalet res- level of difficulty easy
taurant that sits way above the Dornbirn settlement of time 52 min
Ebnit at a height of 1,140 metres. Visitors to this cosy distance 2,35 km
establishment are treated to hearty fare such as sausage altitude 300 m
and homemade cheese. Hikers can quench their thirst6850 — LEISURE 28
6850 — LEISURE
ON YOUR MARKS,
DORNBIRN!
TEXT Miriam Jaeneke
If you have a sudden gap in your diary and feel like spontaneously getting out and doing
something, you are spoilt for choice in Dornbirn. The options presented in the
following also don’t help narrow down this choice. However, there is a clear focus:
movement. Amongst them there are the classics, for example swimming,
but also more unusual sports, such as archery, which you can maybe sample for the
first time. Our advice at this juncture: simply give it a go!
29
Cycling — Grab your bike, in the saddle, let’s go! For ex- Hiking — For those looking for a bit of physical exercise
ample, take the Schwefel heading out of town and then coupled with enjoyment of the great outdoors, a good
left following the sign to the animal sanctuary. If you’re hike is to be recommended. For families the immediate
feeling peckish you can stop for a snack at the Obstguat recommendation would be the classic route through Rap-
zum Steirer behind the animal sanctuary or at the Möck- penloch Gorge. Simply start in Gütle, up the mountain
lebur further on in the direction of Ried. From here the and follow the course of the gorge for about an hour to
tour can be extended as you wish. Is your bike a moun- Staufensee lake, or if you want to you can also continue
tain bike? In that case why not try the climb up to Ebnit further along to reach Alploch Gorge. At this point we
from the campsite ‘Camping Dornbirn’ – but be warned, must also mention the Karren. The best route up is from
this is very steep in places. There’s also another exhilarat- the valley station of the Karren cable car, from where you
ing ascent up Bergstraße, which leads up to the Bödele, can climb to the summit in about an hour before stopping
and from there in the direction of Kehlegg, Heilenberg, for some food at the Panorama restaurant. It’s also possi-
Watzenegg, Bantling, Stuben, Fruh, Ammenegg, Bödele, ble to travel up in the cable car and then to hike to Ebnit,
Schwendealpe, Schauner, Bad Hof and Kehlegg back via Schuttannen, the Schönermannalpe and Fluhereck, in
to Dornbirn. about three hours. The start point can be reached by bus.6850 — LEISURE
30
Mountain hiking — Sure-footed and experienced hik- is closed on Mondays, otherwise it is open all-year-round
ers – who of course always have the correct equipment and is a great place to unwind for two or three hours. And
with them – can also venture a little bit higher into the once you have finished with the breaststroke, backstroke
mountains. The Weißenfluh Alp can be reached in ap- and front crawl, why not relax for a while in the sau-
proximately two hours from the Bödele, via Lustenauer na. Or why not try something completely different? The
Hütte and Bregenzer Hütte. A secret tip, you can revi- ‘Black Box’ is a fully-enclosed pipe-slide that integrates
talise with some food at these two huts for the return and unites water with light and sound effects. During
leg. As an alternative, in around five hours you can hike summer you can also take the bathing pleasures outside.
from the Gasthaus Heumöser in Ebnit over the Linden- If the Waldbad Enz [forest bath] is not enough, you will
bachalpe and past the Schneewaldalpe to the Kugelalpe, find enough rocks and pools in the nearby Dornbirner
up onto the Hohe Kugel to the Emser Hütte and back Ach to alternate between sun and water.
via the Alpe Schöner Mann and Pfarrers Älpele. Another
route with a similar length is from the valley station of Treetop adventures in Ebnit — The high-wire adventure
the Karren cable car up onto the Karren, then follow the park is a whole world of fun for the young and young-
Wurzelweg hiking route to the Staufenspitze. The white- at-heart, with challenges such as the pamper pole, giant
blue-white signed return route promises a true Alpine swing and Jacob’s ladder. At a height of ten metres, this
hiking experience. can be a nerve-tingling experience. Whether with friends
of with work colleagues, this is an adventure that will see
Swimming — For water-babies wishing to throw off their you leave your comfort zone and tackle obstacles that
clothes (well, nearly all of them) and take a dip, the cen- require both courage and skill. Along the way you may
trally-located stadtbad [city baths] is just perfect. Just a find the quietest of people finds their voice to become the
few minutes by foot from the city centre, the baths has a most vocal of supporters and the brashest becomes unu-
25-metre-long, 16.66-metre-wide sports pool, which, de- sually silent. However it works out, this outdoor training
pending on day of the week, time of the day and weather, will prove a positive experience that can be taken forward
you won’t have to share with too many others. The facility to boost your confidence in everyday life.6850 — LEISURE
316850 — LEISURE
32
Flying Fox in Ebnit — The most highflying – in the tru- taught by experienced guides, who can go stalking in the
est sense of the word – attraction in Ebnit is without woods on the hunt for foxes and rabbits. Of course, the
doubt the Flying Fox adventure course. This outdoor at- animal targets are made out of synthetic materials. Af-
traction can be found in the forest behind the high-wire ter expert tuition and a little practice, even those new to
adventure park. Find yourself a group of at least six – archery can have success. Thanks to the various shooting
simply ask the nicest people that you know – and ma- positions, a good number of target shots are guaranteed
noeuvre yourselves between the six Flying Fox platforms with a whole lot of fun.
by swinging through the air. The distances between the
platforms range from 50 and to 150 metres. And the Jogging — Jogging is not only good for the body, it’s also
heights above the ground from 10 to 50 metres. Some- for the soul. You’ll feel that straight away when you’re
what dizzying? No, extremely exciting! But the adventure snaking along beside the Dornbirner Ach, for example.
doesn’t end there. Your team will also have to successfully Start opposite Campus V, then just follow the river to-
conquer the terrain, including a zip wire challenge across wards Rohrbach, cross the bridge to the other bank and
the stream and a climb up the steep bank of Bruderbach. come back. Along the way you will see water, forest and
rock formations. You don’t have to jump straight in at
Archery in Ebnit — Do you, your family or friends feel ten kilometres, three is plenty to start with. Simply cross
like finding out what it feels like to be Robin Hood for a at one of the earlier bridges to shorten the distance. Or,
day? Then why not visit the archery course behind the for those who wish to add a little elevation and fantas-
high-wire adventure park in Ebnit. There are practice fa- tic views, start at Kehlerstraße, along Bickweg and from
cilities for young and old with prior experience of using there up the Rhomberg and back via the Eulental valley.
a bow and arrow. And there are also beginners’ groups Perhaps today the first route, tomorrow the next?6850 — PR
BANKING ADVICE BETWEEN
CHANGE AND CONSISTENCY
An interview with Richard Karlinger and Egon Gunz, branch
directors at the Hypo Vorarlberg in Dornbirn.
Richard Karlinger, branch director Egon Gunz, branch director private clients
What does the Hypo Vorarlberg believe in? us to focus on our strengths in the provision of advice,
rather than suppressing these.
Karlinger: As the entrepreneurial bank in Vorarlberg, we 33
offer both business and private clients competent and Gunz: We are working in parallel on making administra-
personal advice in a private atmosphere. Whether this tive processes more efficient. This means that our em-
concerns the purchase of a house or apartment, the in- ployees will have more time in the future to spend talking
vestment of assets or investment and project financing. to our customers, viewing prospectuses and finding joint
This is why our brand promise is to offer the best advice solutions. This is an absolutely essential process when
to anyone that has a project in the offing. looking at bespoke investment and financing models.
Gunz: We take time to listen and promise that we will How do you see banking advice in the future?
work together with our customers. This promise has been
regularly confirmed by renowned testers. The financial Karlinger: Here at the Hypo Vorarlberg we are trying to
publisher ‘Fuchsbriefe’ currently rates us in the catego- proactively structure our banking advice of the future
ry portfolio quality as the best-placed regional universal on the basis of new technologies, above all however also
bank in the German-speaking countries and in the most taking into account changes in customer behaviour. For
recent ‘Elite Report’ we have been awarded the highest example, with the new Hypo Office Banking we are the
grade ‘summa cum laude’ in the private banking area for first Austrian bank to offer companies an international,
the seventh time in succession. multi-bank compatible online payment application. This
offers companies the possibility of securely managing
Digitalisation is playing an ever-increasing role in the payment flows, also internationally, on the web across
banking world. How is the Hypo Vorarlberg approach- all accounts.
ing this challenge?
Gunz: In this digital age the customer expects an intel-
Karlinger: We see it as our challenge to give our custom- ligent range of paths of access to his bank that has been
ers the opportunity of taking care of as much as they can tailor-made to his requirements: from uncomplicated on-
digitally, however to simultaneously offer them the possi- line product purchasing to mobile banking to personal
bility of speaking to a bank adviser whenever they want advice. The merging of all banking services into a holistic
to. Our focus is to offer more and more flexible paths of product offer and a satisfactory customer experience via
access to the required advice. For example, our online all channels are our focus. In other words, the customer
banking system enables direct contact to an advisor. You is now even more the centre of our attention.
could say that digitalisation offers new possibilities for6850 — LEISURE
DISCOVER DORNBIRN
TEXT Barbara Schmiedehausen
346850 — LEISURE
GET SOME FRESH AIR
It is a well-known fact that there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. That may well be the case,
however a hike on the Bödele or a trip up Dornbirn’s local mountain Karren without the panoramic views
across the surrounding countryside and Lake Constance would be like Kässpätzle [cheese pasta] without fried onions:
somehow quite okay, however not quite right.
35
A look over the edge on Karren — even Thrilling hikes through Rappenloch Gorge Picture postcard hiking on Bödele — The
though Dornbirn’s very own local mountain and Alploch Gorge — Unique rock forma- no. 38 bus leaves Dornbirn railway station
is called the ‘Karren’ [old car], you can’t go tions, narrow walkways, breathtaking valley every 30 minutes. This will take you along
up in one, but glide up in a cable car in less crossings and roaring waterfalls cannot fail the windy road leading away from town,
than five minutes up to a height of 976 me- to impress visitors to Rappenloch Gorge. past the upmarket suburb of Watzenegg and
tres. Opened in 2016 and already famous The entrance is in Gütle, an idyllic neigh- through forest to the Bödele region. Trav-
way beyond the regional borders, the ‘Kar- bourhood of Dornbirn at the end of a pret- elling around the long curves, far-reaching
renkante’ is a glass platform that stretches tily winding road, flanked by forest and the views over the Rhine valley and as far as
12 metres out beyond the precipice, with a Dornbirner Ach, a mere 5.5 km from Dorn- Lake Constance open up. Right beside the
fabulous view down into the Rhine valley, birn railway station and reachable by the Bödele bus stop is the ‘Berghof Fetz’ with
across to Lake Constance and across the bor- no. 47 bus. After about half an hour of hik- its inviting coffee terrace, comfortable in-
ders into Switzerland and Germany. Karren ing along perfectly safe paths and walkways terior and unobstructed views of the Bre-
is the starting point for a multitude of fam- you will reach Staufensee and an idyllic path genzerwald. From here it leads up to the
ily days out and sporting activities, a pop- that skirts around this lake. From Staufen- ‘Meierei’ and an idyllic hiking trail between
ular Sunday destination and a magnet for see it is possible to hike onwards to the Hänsel and Gretel holiday homes, like you
visitors. For the sporty there is a challenging wildly romantic Alploch Gorge. Demand- would see in an illustrated fairy tale book.
climb from the city side or it can be climbed ing but well-secured walkways lead through Without any difference in attitude you can
via the relaxing family walking trail. A par- this gorge and past remarkable rock forma- then hike from the Losenpass across the
ticularly comfortable ascent however is pro- tions and finally through deciduous forest Fohramoos, a nature conservation area with
vided by the cable car, running every fifteen to Ebnitstraße. From here you can travel natural moorland, rare plants and in winter
minutes. There are various walking trails back to the city by bus from the Alploch bus a fabulous cross-country ski track.
back down into the valley. Or you can also stop, with buses every 1 and a half hours.
be transported back down in the cable car Skilifte Bödele
and simply enjoy the fantastic view again. Rappenlochschlucht boedele.info
rappenlochschlucht.at
Karrenseilbahn
karren.at6850 — LEISURE
DORNBIRN UNDER THE ROOF:
DRY, BUT NEVER BORING
Be amazed with experiences, without the effort of getting wet – in Dornbirn it is never boring,
even on cold, wet days. Whether marvelling at noble cars at the Roll-Royce Museum or experiencing nature at inatura
Erlebnisschau: there is no end of family-friendly excursion destinations.
36
Not just from yesteryear — Dornbirn’s The horsepower museum — Who would Astonishing Nativity cribs, not only at
beer institution, the Mohren brewery, is have though it? The largest Rolls-Royce mu- Christmas — Fascinating figures, minia-
still very prominently located and easy to seum in the entire world can be found in ture worlds that are simply works of art,
find in the heart of the city. The beer with Dornbirn, in the historical atmosphere of precious signs of devoutness made with de-
the noticeable logo is well-known beyond the former textiles factory buildings of F.M. votion: The Nativity Crib Museum in Gütle
the borders of the city and region and is Hämmerle. More than 1,000 exhibits, 3,500 brings joy to the eyes, heart and soul within
produced in the most modern of facili- square metres of exhibition space on three this 100-year-old former horse stable. The
ties. In the Mohren museum you can learn floors, a reconstruction of the first Rolls- crown jewel of the approximately 110 cribs
about the fascinating history of brewing Royce production workshop, an in-house on display from all around the world is the
and brews. The jewel of the exhibition is an restoration workshop, an original tearoom new 16 square metres and up to 2 and a
historical brewing vat from the 19th cen- for celebrations of all kinds and the ‘Hall half metre high Passion crib made by the
tury. In addition to all the wonderful old of Fame’ are only some of the highlights. renowned crib manufacturer Antonio Pigoz-
pieces of brewing paraphernalia, the muse- Amongst numerous precious and unique zi. Easily reachable by no. 47 bus and with-
um surprises with its modern presentation items you will find the safari touring car of out doubt a gem on the museum landscape.
technologies. Old procedures are presented King George V, the limousine of King Ed-
across four floors using interactive and mul- ward VIII, the parade vehicle of the dictator Krippenmuseum Dornbirn
timedia devices. In the adjacent shop you Franco and many more astounding vehicles. Gütle 11c
can purchase delicious speciality beers and krippenmuseum-dornbirn.at
beer accessories. Rolls-Royce Museum Tue to Sun 10 am to 5 pm
Gütle 11a Open from 1. May to 6. January
Mohren-Biererlebniswelt rolls-royce-museum.at
Dr.-Waibel-Straße 2 Tue to Sun 10 am to 6 pm,
mohrenbrauerei.at (July to August)
Thu 10 am to 8 pm, Winter break 1. to 25. December
Fri & Sat 10 am to 6 pm, & 7. January to 31. March
Sun 10 am to 5 pm6850 — LEISURE
37
Where wolf and beaver meet — Located in
the grounds of a beautiful park right in the
heart of Dornbirn lies the inatura, the nat-
ural history experience for the whole fami-
ly. The tour through this modern exhibition
complex, which has been cleverly integrat-
ed into the historic industrial architecture,
leads through the natural habitats typical
for Vorarlberg; mountains, forest and water,
and ends with an exploration of the human
body. The ‘Science Zones’ are interactive ed-
ucational stations where technical and phys-
ical phenomena can be explored. The exhi-
bition ‘SEXperten’ [SEXperts] examines the
most remarkable strategies of procreation
in the animal kingdom and shows amongst
other things the extraordinary efforts made
by the males to get the attention of the fe-
males. Whether the singing of the birds or
the dancing of the spiders, it is always about
the same thing, reproduction.
Inatura
Jahngasse 9
inatura.at
Opening hours daily from 10 am to 6 pm6850 — ARCHITECTURE
WITH RESPONSIBILITY,
COMMON SENSE AND
INNOVATION
TEXT Verena Konrad
Vorarlberg’s architects have a solid reputation. Many of them are known far beyond
Austrian borders. A new generation of architects are now treading in their footsteps.
We visit three new-generation architects’ offices in Dornbirn.
38
NONA Architektinnen — Founded in 2017, Nora Hein-
zle and Anja Innauer work from their offices in Dornbirn
on architecture projects of a slightly different nature, in-
volving the conversion and repurposing of existing build-
ings. Projects of this nature require a particular sensitivi-
ty and understanding of the logic of the existing building,
as well as a good appreciation of the requirements of the
new users of the building. “For us no job is too small or
too unimportant. The retention of our cultural architec-
tural heritage is important to us. Of course we are also
happy to design totally new buildings. However when we
do so it is important to us that we consider the appropri-
ate forms of incorporation and embodiment in the vil-
lage and urban structures.” Both earned their diplomas
at the Technical University in Vienna. Periods studying
and working abroad and civil engineering exams, as well
as the gathering of experience in the offices of other ar-
chitecture firms, were all important steps along the way
to the founding of their own offices. “In our daily lives
working on design competition proposals plays a huge
role. Design competitions are important firstly in order
to be awarded new contracts and secondly in order to
grapple both intellectually and from a design perspec-
tive with new problems and find solutions for the best
use of a space.”
nona-architektinnen.at6850 — ARCHITECTURE Simon Metzler and Lukas Schelling — Working as part of a cooperative has a long history in the field of archi- tecture. Working cooperatives are useful in many ways: working together it is possible to tackle larger or more complex projects and to increase areas of competence and pool experience, references and contacts. Simon Metzler and Lukas Schelling have their joint office infrastructure in Dornbirn’s Rosenstraße. Not visible from the outside, they work on design competitions and commissioned ar- chitecture projects in the rooms of a family home. Lukas Schelling also teaches as a technical college lecturer. “We are happy with this variety.” The two architects first met each other working in the offices of Leopold Kaufmann. “This connection is still important to us today.” Since 2016 Simon Metzler is also a design consultant in Hitti- sau. “We want to assume responsibility for the architec- tural environment in which we live. Together we can cov- er a vast field. In order to keep business running, we also work for colleagues, building contractors and communes in which we work on studies and develop the foundations for projects”. 39 Julia Kick — After many years of working in the offic- es of Hugo Dworzak, Helmut Kuess and ‘bad architects group’, Julia Kick launched her solo career two years ago. The first stage for this was the passing of her civil engi- neering exams. Since the middle of this year she has been working from her new location close to Dornbirn station. With the renovation of the ‘Oeconomiegebäude Josef Weiß’ building she has not only shown what she can do, but also created a new multi-use location. Simultaneous- ly renovating a culturally important building for the city and retaining much of the old building fabric, she has managed to create a residential apartment, together with a work space for herself, and set a shining example: con- temporary urban living is also possible in an old building, even in an old barn. As recognition of her commitment, she was awarded the Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis [wooden building prize] in her very first year of self-employment. The architect describes on her website what she does: ini- tial deliberations and consultancy on precepts, concepts, draft planning, execution planning and detail planning, tendering and cost control, construction management, interior design. She co-developed the project ‘Ein guter Rat’ [a piece of good advice] for the commune of Lus- tenau, which is designed to provide building owners with assistance at the beginning of building conversion and repurposing projects. juliakick.com
6850 — ARCHITECTURE
CITY LANDSCAPES
TEXT Verena Konrad
The quality of life in any town is largely down to its buildings and what they offer.
However, with the construction of each new building new intervening spaces and spatial
restrictions are also created – new outlooks and insights, new paths, new squares, quite
simply a new arrangement of space in the sense of ownership and possession.
40
Right at the top of the wish list for many Austrians is
‘living in green space’ – with regard to both private and
public surroundings and this is therefore a critical re-
quirement. However the word ‘green’ must cover many
things and there are also many ideas about how this wish
can be fulfilled architecturally. “In Vorarlberg there is a
not insignificant, however decreasing, section of the pub-
lic that live in detached or semi-detached family houses
with gardens. No one else has their own private green
space and these people are reliant on public or shared
spaces if they want to get out in the fresh air. However
both of these groups of people use these free spaces and
green spaces both inside and outside of the urban areas
for sport, for relaxation, as a meeting point, to go for a
stroll, to play. The need for this facility is not only in-
creasing because many people can no longer afford or no
longer want to have their own garden, but also because
the building density continues to increase and as a result
apartments and living spaces themselves are also getting
smaller. As a consequence the free spaces must adopt in-
creasingly compensatory functions for the community”,
writes Lilli Lička. In addition to her professional practice,
the landscape architect with roots in Vorarlberg has also
taught for many years at the University for Soil Culture in
Vienna. Since 2003 she has been head of the Institute for
top Stadtgarten Dornbirn [municipal park]
bottom das stadtbad Dornbirn [city baths]6850 — ARCHITECTURE
41
Landscape Architecture, which is part of the University.
“The provision of free spaces and landscapes, their qual-
ity and safeguarding is crucial for quality of life. Despite
the fact that in this region characterised by its natural
beauty there is seemingly an abundance of ‘green’ avail-
able, the number of easily-reachable, publicly-accessible
and useable free spaces is restricted. Virtually all of the
cultivated landscape, which also gives the impression of
green below the mountain and Alpine regions, is used for
agricultural purposes. Agricultural areas are only acces- top extension Marktplatz
sible if there are footpaths and bridleways across them. bottom Kindergarden Marktstraße
This means that public spaces must actively be provided.”
Public park areas must be created, but this is connected
with the purchase or otherwise making available of land.
So the municipal authority of Dornbirn purchased the
former site of the company Rüsch for the creation of the
new Stadtgarten. Other towns and cities in Vorarlberg
have also resorted to using historically significant and merly an agricultural community into a city. However,
private, however not feudal, gardens for the provision of when talking about public spaces it is not only parks and
parks and green spaces – which is a key difference to the open areas that play a role, rather also the city’s streets.
local regulations of other towns, cities and regions. Of Since the 1980s many of the inner-city streets in Vorarl-
particular importance for such projects is the inheritance berg have been pedestrianised and reinvented as urban
passed down by earlier industry, because many of today’s relaxation areas, for example Marktplatz in Dornbirn.
public facilities in Vorarlberg have their origins in former An extension to this has now been put in place with the
factory premises or the gardens of the former villas of ‘Stadtnaht’, newly designed by architects LAAC, which
the industrialists themselves. This means that Dornbirn connects Marktplatz with Schulgasse and Mozartstraße.
is today not only a ‘garden city’, it also has its Stadtgar- New paths, a public square and a green area provide qual-
ten. This is important when viewed in the context of the ity of stay, demonstrate an open picture of society and
urbanisation and spatial transformation of what was for- are a clear acknowledgement of urbanity and diversity.You can also read
