Bregenzerwald

The Bregenzerwald is a region east of Bregenz, noted worldwide for its blend of traditional and modern timber architecture. Along the KäseStrasse, dairies produce award-winning mountain cheese. Gentle hiking and cycling routes, well-kept villages and a distinctive craft culture shape the valley.

Highlights

• Award-winning modern timber architecture
• KäseStrasse with dairies and mountain cheese
• Gentle hiking and cycling routes
• Lively craft and building culture

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

The Bregenzerwald is a gently undulating landscape of hills and mountains in the hinterland of Bregenz which, despite its name, is shaped not by dense forest but by wide alpine meadows and scattered farms. For centuries the inhabitants lived in an independent valley community with remarkable freedoms, largely governing themselves in the so-called courts and thus developing a strong self-confidence. From this pronounced independence grew a remarkable craft tradition and a proud farming culture that remains tangible to this day and shapes the image of the villages.

The region is famous for its cheese tradition: the three-stage farming system, in which the cattle move over the course of the summer from the valley farms via the middle Vorsäße up to the high-lying alpine pastures, has shaped the landscape and the rhythm of life for generations and gave rise to the famous Cheese Road with its spicy mountain cheeses. In more recent times the Bregenzerwald has become internationally known for its contemporary timber architecture, which combines old carpentry craft with a clear, modern visual language and has won many awards. Thus a unique dialogue arose between farming tradition and present-day building culture, which has made the region known far beyond Vorarlberg and draws architects and connoisseurs alike into the quiet valleys.