Schröcken is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, in the westernmost

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 ...

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

The region around Schröcken was first populated around 1300 CE by German-speaking people known as the

Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser people are named af ...

, who came to Austria in from the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...

(highlands) located in the southern part of the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The town became part of a regional administrative area called Tannberg in 1806. From 1805 to 1814, the town was under the jurisdiction of the Free State of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. Later it reverted to become part of the Austro-Hungarian

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

, and in 1861 was integrated into the newly founded state of Vorarlberg, Austria. From 1945 to 1955, Schröcken was part of the French occupation zone in Austria.

Name

The original name was "Girsboden". "Schröcken" first appeared in the early 17th century.

Population

Politics

The political administration body consists of a 9-member council and a mayor.

Sights

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption The first church of Schröcken was built in 1639. The church increased its membership from 1726 to 1732, but the building was destroyed by fire in 1863. A rebuilding effort took place between 1864 and 1867, when it was re-consecrated. The church is surrounded by a walled cemetery. Chapel of the Annunciation 18th century neo-Gothic chapel, consecrated in 1779.

Economy

Tourism is the main economic enterprise, with an emphasis on outdoor activities including, skiing, hiking, and other mountain sports.

Transportation

There is public transportation provided by Wälderbus 40 or 42, which connects with the broader Vorarlberg-Austrian-European network. The main road is the Bregenzerwald Bundesstraße 200.

Education

The town has a primary school and a kindergarten.

Climate

References

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 ...

External links

Google Map of Walser Settlements 1200 to Present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schrocken Cities and towns in Bregenz District