Vorarlberg

I

Introduction

Vorarlberg, westernmost province of Austria, the smallest after Vienna, covering an area of 2,600 sq km (1,004 sq mi). The region is bounded to the north by Bavaria (Germany); to the west by the Alpine Rhine; to the south by Switzerland; to the south-west by Liechtenstein; and to the east by the northern Tirol. The administrative capital of Vorarlberg is Bregenz.

II

Land and Resources

Except in its westernmost section along the Rhine River and Lake Constance, Vorarlberg is almost entirely mountainous and is oriented towards Switzerland rather than Austria, since all of its rivers run west into the Rhine. It is known as “the land beyond the Arlberg pass”, and stretches from that area to Lake Constance (Bodensee). Its environment ranges from the garden-like Rhine valley to high forests, and finally to the peaks of the Silvretta massif, which rises 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level.

After Vienna, Vorarlberg is the richest, most industrialized province of Austria, a fact belied by its beautiful landscapes of pasture, clear streams, and snowy mountains. Around half of the region's workforce is engaged in the manufacture of textiles, clothing, and crafts. Dornbirn is Austria's main textile producer (cotton), and like the rest of the region it benefits hugely from the hydroelectric installations on Vorarlberg's mountain rivers that are linked to the European grid. These rivers are rich in falls, fed by annual precipitation exceeding 2,030 mm (80 in).

Twenty-five per cent of Vorarlberg's revenue comes from tourism, which is based on Lake Constance and the Rhine Valley, the Arlberg (Lech and Zürs), Brandnertal/Walgau (the towns of Bludenz and Brand), the Bregenzer Wald, the Grosswaisertal, the Kleinwaisertal, the Klostertal, the Montafon, and the Oberland. Of the total area of the Vorarlberg, 88 per cent is productive land, with 3.5 per cent arable, 30 per cent exploitable forest, and 44 per cent used for pasturing livestock. Vorarlberg is thus the most Alpine in character of the Austrian provinces, and the predominance of cattle-rearing, and milk and cheese production in the countryside reflects this. Some corn, potatoes, and fruits are grown in the Rhine basin.

III

Population

Vorarlberg is more Swiss than Austrian in its religion and language. The population is mainly Catholic and speaks a Swiss or High-Alamannic dialect of German, very different from the dialects of Tirol and Bavaria. Bregenz, north of the Alps on the shore of Lake Constance, is the province's oldest city and has been its capital since 1907. The population of Vorarlberg is 360,827 (2004 estimate).

IV

History

Archaeological excavations show that Vorarlberg was probably once inhabited by lake dwellers. The area was later inhabited by Roman garrisons prior to the settling of the Alamanni, a confederacy of Germanic tribes who invaded the country around the 3rd century ad. The Alamanni were conquered early in the 6th century by Clovis I, king of the Franks. Under the Holy Roman Empire, Vorarlberg was ruled first by the counts of Bregenz and later by the counts of Montfort until the Habsburgs purchased the larger part of the district in 1376. By 1436 the entire province had come under Habsburg rule, and in 1526 Austrian dukes were established in Vorarlberg to protect the Habsburg interests. The region was ruled as a separate Austrian district until 1782, when it was included in the province of Tirol. For a brief period during the Napoleonic Wars, both Vorarlberg and Tirol were awarded to Bavaria, before being returned to Austria in 1814 by the Treaty of Paris.

During the political unrest of the revolution of 1848, the citizens of Vorarlberg won the right to choose their own deputies. This right was temporarily suppressed by Emperor Francis Joseph, but was restored in 1861, although Vorarlberg continued to be administered from Innsbruck, the capital of Tirol. The Vorarlbergers have repeatedly sought independence from Austria. After their plea for recognition was ignored by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I, they asked the League of Nations for autonomy and the right to join the Swiss Confederation. A referendum taken in May 1919 showed that 81 per cent of the population was in favour of joining Switzerland, but the desires of the Vorarlbergers were overruled and the province remained Austrian.

When Adolf Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, Vorarlberg became part of greater Germany. Allied troops liberated the province in April 1945, near the end of World War II, and it subsequently became part of the French zone of occupation. The Austrian State Treaty of May 15, 1955, restored local autonomy.