Zürs (1717 meters above sea level) is one of the most renowned winter sports resorts in the Alps. Located in the westernmost Austrian 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 ...

, almost directly on the border to North

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 ...

, near the Flexenpass, Zürs is part of 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 ...

region, which also includes

Lech Lech may refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, the legendary founder of Poland * Lech (Bohemian prince) Products and organizations * Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań * Lech Poznań, ...

, Oberlech, Zug, and Stubenbach. This region offers 87 ski-lifts, 200 kilometers of deep snow slopes and 305 km of ski runs. It has several (mostly luxurious) hotels and pensions, with a total of over 1,700 beds. It is popular for its downhill skiing, but also for its

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...

and its Olympic skiing champions. About four kilometers north of Zürs is

Lech am Arlberg Lech am Arlberg is a mountain village and an exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the banks of the river Lech. In terms of both geography and history, Lech belongs to the Tannberg dist ...

, another ski resort which is linked to Zürs not only via road, but also via

ski lift A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial l ...

s and pistes.

History

In the beginning, the mountain farmers without access roads lived under very difficult conditions in this high alpine region; they were often cut off from the outside world. With the construction of the road over the Flexenpass, the village was connected to the larger Vorarlberg/Austrian road network in 1897. Zürs also became increasingly popular among skiers. From 1923 to 1931 several hotels and guest houses were built in Zürs. In 1938, the village already had 500 guest beds. In cooperation with Emil Doppelmayr, Sepp Bildstein designed the first ski lift for the region. In 1937, Austria's first

T-bar lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

was built on the practice slope in Zürs. During the

Second World War 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 ...

a second lift was built on the Schlegelkopf near Lech. The energetic development of the Lech-Zürs ski area with

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

s began in the 1950s. In 1951, the lift operation at Kriegerhorn was put into operation. In 1957, the

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** Bi ...

Rüfikopf was finished, creating a skiing connection between Lech and Zürs. * The White Ring: Thanks to this new ski lift system, the famous "Weißer Ring" ski circuit running through Lech, Zürs, Zug and Oberlech was also institutionalized. * The Green Ring: The Green Ring is a three-day hiking trail that tells the story of local people, their traditional culture, and the landscape. This LEADER-Project, with the art concept of story and installations, was created by the two artists Daniela Egger and Daniel Kocher. The trail leads the hiker on a track of legends and stories about local inhabitants and events in this multi-faceted natural landscape. Families can solve riddles about the region from Lech up to the Rud-Alpe.

Tourism & economy

Zürs is part of the municipality of

and is one of the cradles of the

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

sport. The first ski course took place in Zürs in 1904, and the first ski lift in

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 ...

was built in Zürs in 1937. The main source of income is tourism. Because of the high altitude over 2,000 above sea level, the landscape is mostly free of forests and therefore offers a clear view of the surrounding alpine peaks. In addition, there is always much snow in the Arlberg-region, as well as a picture-book landscape to practice

winter sport Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold area ...

s in. From 1988 to 1994, numerous

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

races were held in the Lech-Zürs ski area. After 26 years now, alpine ski races will again be held in Lech, in November 2020. The races will take place on November 14 and 15 in the Flexenarena Zürs. They will feature parallel ski races for men and women, as well as a mixed team event.

References

External links

Official website of Tourist Board Lech ZürsOfficial website of Tourist Board Zürs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurs Cities and towns in Bludenz District Ski areas and resorts in Austria Tourist attractions in Vorarlberg