Au is a town in the

Bregenz Forest The Bregenz Forest (german: Bregenzerwald, ) is one of the main regions in the state of Vorarlberg (Austria). It overlaps, but is not coterminous with, the Bregenz Forest Mountains, which belong to a range of the Northern Limestone Alps, specifica ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Geography

The town belongs to the

, is part of the district of

Bregenz Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...

, and lies in the '' Upper Bregenz Forst.'' 40 percent of its 45 km² area is covered with forest, 34.4% of the area is used as alpine pasture (''Almwirtschaft'') and for other forms of alpine agriculture. The town itself is unlike most others in the area, as it has no real center. Au is an example of a "scattered village" (German: ''Streudorf''). It consists of several districts: Am Stein, Argenau, Argenstein, Argenzipfel, Jaghausen, Kreuzgasse, Lebernau, Lugen, Lisse, Rehmen, Schrecken, and Wieden. The town hall is located in Argenau, but the parish church is located in Jaghausen. The district of Rehmen also has its own church. The river

Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest (Bregenzerwald), in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance, which is drained by the Rhine. The river is 67 kilometers long and drai ...

, the largest river in the region, flows through Au and divides it into two parts: The one part is called ''Schattseite'' (meaning “shady side”), and consists of the districts of Argenau, Argenzipfel and Wieden; the other part is called ''Sonnseite'' (meaning “sunny side”) and consists (mainly) of Rehmen and Schrecken. Alongside the river runs the L200 road, which is the main route through the

History

From 1805 to 1814, Au belonged to the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

, but was then returned to

. Au has belonged to the province of

since the latter’s foundation in 1861. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Au was included within the French Occupation Zone of Austria. The occupation lasted from 1945 until the

Austrian State Treaty The Austrian State Treaty (german: Österreichischer Staatsvertrag ) or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying po ...

was signed in 1955. The occupation force also included many Moroccan soldiers serving in the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

army.

Population

Politics

The town council of Au, called ''Gemeinderat,'' consists of 18 members, all of them members of the ''Auer Liste.'' The current mayor is Andreas Simma.

Culture

In 1651, the Auer Zunft (Guild of Au) was founded in Au by Michael Beer. It is an association of builders, sculptors and carpenters. In Au-

Schoppernau Schoppernau is a town in the Bregenzerwald Region (Bregenz district) of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Schoppernau has an area of 47.64 km2. Population History Until the 10th century, Schoppernau seems to have been pristine forest. Schop ...

from 1670 to 1700, more than 90 percent of all male workers were builders. Master builders and craftsmen from the

in particular, but also from other parts of today's Vorarlberg, played a leading role in the 600 churches and monasteries that were built in the Baroque style in the 17th and 18th centuries. Members of the Guild of Au received 60 percent of the more than 700 major construction contracts awarded to Vorarlbergers. Many important members of the Guild of Au came from the architect families Beer, Moosbrugger and Thumb. In 2021, the

Museum of Baroque Master Builders A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

was opened in Au. It is dedicated to the works of the Guild of Au.

Economics and infrastructure

A main economic factor in Au is tourism. Many private households rent out rooms or flats. There are several hotels, many of them providing special venues or events, e.g. wellness, sports, and motorbiking. Agriculture was formerly the main income source for the village, until the rise of tourism.

Transportation

Au is situated on the L200, the ''Bregenzerwald Bundesstraße''. Here it connects to the L193, the ''Faschina Bundesstraße'', which is the main route to the skiing resort of

Damüls Damüls is a village community and popular tourist resort in the district of Bregenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Damüls is known for its abundance of snow. In 2006, Damüls was awarded the honorary title "the snowiest villag ...

. Public transportion consists of the

Postbus A postbus is a public bus service that is operated as part of local mail delivery as a means of providing public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage, where a normal bus service would be uneconomic or inefficient. Postbus ser ...

Line 40, running from

Dornbirn Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlberg ...

. In winter there is also a free bus service running through the town for skiers and locals.

Education

There is a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, a ''Volksschule'' (primary school), and a ''Hauptschule'' (lower secondary school), all located in a building in the district Schrecken. The secondary school also serves the towns of

Schnepfau Schnepfau is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest ...

and

Schröcken Schröcken is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Geography Schröcken is in the Austrian Alps, at an altitude of 1,269 meters. 12.4% of the area are forested, 39.4% Alpine area. History ...

Personalities

Kaspar Moosbrugger Kaspar is a given name and surname which may refer to: Given name: * Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1459 – c. 1527) * Kaspar Albrecht (1889–1970), Austrian architect and sculptor * Kaspar Amort (1612–1675), German painter * Caspa ...

(

Vorarlberg School The Vorarlberg School of Architecture (German: ''Vorarlberger Schule'') or Guild of Au (German: ''Auer Zunft'') refers to a group of architects and builders founded in 1657 by Johann Michael Beer in the town of Au im Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg ( ...

; * May 16, 1656, in Au; † August 26, 1723, in

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area p ...

) *

Franz Beer Franz Beer (3 July 1659 – 19 January 1726), also known as Franz Beer von Blaichten, was an Austrian architect during the Baroque period, mainly working on church buildings at monasteries in southern Germany, chiefly in Upper Swabia, and Swit ...

(master builder and co-founder of

; * April 1, 1660, in Au (Vorarlberg); † January 21, 1726, in

Bezau Bezau is a town in the Bregenz Forest region, in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is part of the district of Bregenz. Bezau is a popular tourist destination around the year, due to its vicinity to ski resorts and hiking trails. Its pi ...

) * Jan Zwischenbrugger (professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

; * June 16, 1990, in Au, more than 200 league appearances for Rheindorf Altach)

References

External links

*https://www.au-schoppernau.at/de {{Authority control Bregenz Forest Mountains Cities and towns in Bregenz District