Bregenz -Hohenems

Anmerkungen

Bregenz - Dornbirn - Hohenems are three important towns in the state of Vorarlberg, culturally and economically. 

Tipp des Autors

In Dornbirn Marktplatz and ride up the Karren with a great view of the Rhine Valley and Lake Constance

In Hohenems Nibelungen Fountain near the castle

Orte entlang des Weges

We start today's stage at the St. Gallus Church.

After just under a kilometer, we meet at the foot of Gebhardsberg (on the mountain well visited pilgrimage chapel) at the Kolumban Church. After another 300m we reach the shore of the Bregenzer Ache. We cross this river, hike westwards, and admire the sand slabs in the middle of the river (relics of a 20 million-year-old petrified sea coast). At the railway bridge, we leave the Bregenzer Ache, turn southwards, and follow the railway line for a little more than 1 km.

When leaving the city area of Bregenz, the hiking signpost shows us the direction: to Lauterach. The hiking trail, marked yellow-white, leads us about half a kilometer along the railway line until it makes a right curve. We follow the railway line for about 500m until we reach an underpass. We pass under the railway tracks and now follow the Jannersee signpost. It lies in the middle of the Lauteracher Riet and offers a simple resting place. We stay on this path and reach the shore of the Dornbirn Ache after another 2.5 km. Turning left and continuing just over a kilometer, we arrive at the wooden Sender Bridge, which we cross (caution, car traffic!) and immediately turn left again. Following the now meandering Ache, we hike towards Dornbirn, pass under the motorway, and continue along the bank of the Dornbirn Ache. Those who want to visit the city leave the Ache after about 3.5 km and head towards the city center. Those who go straight continue to follow the Ache.

Dornbirn. The earliest evidence of human presence in today's Dornbirn municipality dates back to the middle Stone Age (8000 to 3000 BC). Coins from the 2nd century and a brooch from the 1st century provide evidence of Roman presence in the Dornbirn city area. The first indication of a settlement in the area of today's Dornbirn comes from an Alemannic skeletal grave from the 6th and 7th centuries.

Dornbirn is mentioned in a note from a St. Gall document issued in 895. The monastery of St. Gallen then also owned this area in the following decades.

As in the entire Rhine Valley, the textile industry was and still is an important economic sector.

Numerous chapels indicate the great piety of the population.

A cable car leads from Dornbirn up to the Karren, a beautiful viewpoint. From there, a descent into the impressive Rappenloch Gorge can be undertaken. This can also be reached directly from the city center.

At the foot of the mountain, we continue hiking until

Hohenems. In the city is the Palace Hohenems, the former residence castle of the Counts of Hohenems. In the 18th century, two of the three most important manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied were found in the castle library. From the 17th to the 19th century, Hohenems was home to numerous Jewish families. In the 20th century, Hohenems became world-famous through the still annually held music festival „Schubertiade“.

From Hohenems to Chur there are two route variants:

Stages 14a Hohenems – Feldkirch, 15a Feldkirch – Balzers and 16a Balzers – Chur

Stages 14b Hohenems – Haag, 15b Haag – Sargans and 16b Sargans – Chur

With the variant via Haag and Sargans, there is the possibility to visit a place that played an important role in Gallus' life: Grabs. Gallus fled to this place via the Saxerlücke to avoid any reprisals by the duke. In Grabs, he also decided not to follow Kolumban to Bobbio but to withdraw to Steinachtobel. A fountain in Grabs commemorates Gallus' presence in this place.