Schoppernau is a town in the Bregenzerwald Region (

Bregenz district The Bezirk Bregenz is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Vorarlberg, Austria. It comprises the Bregenz Forest region, the Leiblach valley, and the Austrian part of Lake Constance. The area of the district is 863.37 km², its populatio ...

) of the

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 ...

n state of

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 ...

. Schoppernau has an area of 47.64 km².

Population

History

Until the 10th century, Schoppernau seems to have been pristine forest. Schoppernau and Au were the last villages to be settled in the

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

. Early on, the land in and around Schoppernau was probably used primarily as pastureland for sheep. The surrounding terrain was probably used as pastureland for sheep, as the name ("Schappernouw" = Schafau = sheep meadow or mead) indicates. The neighboring village of Au showed similar developments.

Coat of arms

The Schoppernau coat of arms has been in use since 12 March 1930. It is red with a bronze frame, showing a silver mountain summit in the background. In the middle there is a green uprooted spruce, with two silver cow bells to the left and right.

Culture

Schoppernau is part of the Bregenzerwald Umgang (literally "Bregenzerwald Walking Tour"). This walking tour offers insights into the architecture and community planning of 12 traditional villages in the Bregenzerwald. While walking over various landscapes, visiting public buildings, homes and everyday objects, walkers gain a comprehensive overview of typical Bregenzerwald architectural styles as they developed throughout the ages. The nine buildings chosen for the walking tour in Schoppernau include the Alpine Cheese Dairy (Bergkäserei), several farmhouses, an old sawmill, the fire department, and the primary school. The 19th century half-timbered farmhouses in Schoppernau present many typical features of the unique Bregenzerwald farm architecture, particularly their joined timber beams sealed with moss. Oberdorf 55, Schoppernau 1

Exhibits in the Franz Michael Felder Museum present the life, times and work of

Franz Michael Felder Franz Michael Felder (May 13, 1839 – April 26, 1869) was a social reformer, author and farmer from Vorarlberg (Austria). Life Born in Schoppernau, Vorarlberg Franz Michael Felder grew up in very simple mountain farming circumstances. Having ...

, author, farmer and social reformer, one of the most prominent historical personalities of the Bregenzerwald. The parish church Schoppernau was built in 1710 by the architect Johann Brenner von Gräsalp (1664-1749). In 1838, an organ was installed. In 1917, all four church bells were taken down and their metal was used in the war effort

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Climate

Trivia

In Vorarlberg, Austria, Schoppernau is known for the song "Vo Mello bis ge Schoppornou" (

Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to: * Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers * Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period * Alamanni (surna ...

: From

Mellau Mellau is a town in the Bregenz Forest in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, part of the district of Bregenz. Geography Mellau covers an area of 40.55 km2. Mellau lies at the foot of the Kanisfluh mountain which is considered ...

to Schoppernau), by the Bregenzerwälder band ''Holstuonarmusigbigbandclub''.

Personalities

(1839–1869) *

Walter Strolz Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

(born 1927)

External links

* *

Timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

* http://www.felderverein.at/ * https://vlb.vorarlberg.at/was-haben-wir/felder-archiv/ueber-uns.html

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Bregenz District