Au (; ) is a town in the

Bregenz Forest The 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 Northern Limestone A ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , 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 the state with the second-highest popu ...

(

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Geography

The town belongs to the

, is part of the district of

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

, 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 () in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance and the River Rhine, respectively. Geography The source of the river is above ...

, 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

The name "Au" likely derives from the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

word ''ouwa'', meaning "river meadow" or "floodplain," referencing the area's proximity to rivers and

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

s. The first known inhabitants of the Au region were the

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

, primarily from the Vorarlberg

Rhine Valley Rhine Valley (German: ''Rheintal'' ) is the valley, or any section of it, of the river Rhine in Europe. Particular valleys of the Rhine or any of its sections: * Alpine Rhine Valley ** Chur Rhine Valley (or Grisonian Rhine Valley; , or sometimes ...

or the

area. Permanent settlement likely began between 1200 and 1300, as a

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

was consecrated in Jaghausen in 1372. The land comprising the modern municipality was originally owned by King Rudolf of Habsburg, who later ceded it to the Counts of Bregenz-Montfort. The Counts of Feldkirch-Montfort inherited the area and used it primarily for hunting. During this period, the name ‘Jaghausen in den Owen’ originated, reflecting the counts' construction of a hunting lodge there. In 1375, Count Hugo von Montfort sold the area to

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...

. Au became a center of the Au guild, a group instrumental in shaping

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

in southern Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace. The

Thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

and

Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

families of master builders, based in Au, developed the Baroque Vorarlberg cathedral style in the 17th century. From 1805 to 1814, Au was part of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

, before being returned to the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. Since 1861, Au has belonged to the province of

. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Au fell within the French Occupation Zone of Austria, where the occupation, including Moroccan soldiers serving in the French army, lasted until the signing of the

Austrian State Treaty The Austrian State Treaty ( ) or Austrian Independence Treaty established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying powers (France, the United Kingdom, the Uni ...

in 1955.

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 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 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. Public transportation consists of the Postbus 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 Vorarlb ...

to Schoppernau. 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 cen ...

, 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, Schoppernau, Damüls 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 ( Vorarlberg School; * May 16, 1656, in Au; † August 26, 1723, in

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and Districts of Switzerland#Schwyz, district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. Histor ...

) * Franz Beer (master builder and co-founder of Vorarlberg School; * April 1, 1660, in Au (Vorarlberg); † January 21, 1726, in Bezau) * 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 lea ...

; * 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