The Klostertal is an alpine valley in Vorarlberg, in Austria. It branches off at

Bludenz Bludenz (; Alemannic: ''Bludaz'') is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of the Vorarlberg's territory. Geography The town is located on the Il ...

and extends about 30 kilometers to the east to the

Arlberg Arlberg () is a massif between Vorarlberg and Tyrol in Austria. The highest peak is the Valluga at . The name ''Arlberg'' derives from the tradition of the "Arlenburg", who are said to have once established themselves on the Tyrolean side of the A ...

and the border with

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

. It consists of the three communities of Klösterle am Arlberg,

Dalaas Dalaas is a municipality in the district of Bludenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Population Mayor Since 2005 Christian Gantner (* 1980) is the mayor. See also * Horizon Field ''Horizon Field'' is a 2010 sculpture installation by ...

and

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

and the three Bludenz towns Bings, Radin and Außerbraz with an area of 193.6 km ² and about 4,700 inhabitants (as of 2017). The valley opens to the east of the district capital

and is characterized by the south and north steeply towering mountain ranges of the

Lechquellen Mountains The Lechquellen Mountains (german: Lechquellengebirge) or Lechquellen range is a small mountain group within the Northern Limestone Alps of the Eastern Alps. It lies entirely within the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and includes the upper reac ...

and the Verwalls mountain range. The Alfenz flows through the Klostertal from Stuben am Arlberg (district of Klösterle/ Arlberg) to the

Ill ILL may refer to: * '' I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibra ...

at Bludenz. The bottom of the valley is rising steadily, which is reflected by the fact that the sea level of the settlement areas ranges between 600 m in the west and 1,400 m in the east. Klostertal Vlbg

History

The name Klostertal can be explained historically with the transfer of the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

in St. Marienthal by Count Hugo I. von Montfort in 1218 to the Johanniterhaus in

Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to: Places * Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria ** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria * Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the munici ...

. In return for the foundation received, the Order of St. John had to give at least shelter, fire and water to the passing poor people. For this purpose, a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

was built, which was called Klösterle, just like the evolving town around the hospice. Later the whole valley was called Klostertal, which replaced the former name St. Marienthal. The shortest connection between Tyrol and Vorarlberg leads over the 1793 m high Arlbergpass. Over the centuries, this connection has been used by business, military and other travelers. The weather determined the length of this crossing and so along the route a number of utilities such as guest houses and accommodations.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Valleys of Vorarlberg Valleys of the Alps Vorarlberg