Bregenz is the capital of the Vorarlberg state in western Austria and lies on the shores of the immense freshwater body, Lake Constance (Or Bodensee in German). This charming town has many fantastic sights and a great deal to offer in terms of tourism and activities.
Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost 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 west and Germany in the northwest.
Bregenz is located on a plateau falling in a series of terraces to the lake at the foot of Pfänder mountain. It is a junction of the arterial roads from the Rhine valley to the German Alpine foothills, with cruise ship services on Lake Constance.
It is famous for the annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele, as well as the dance festival Bregenzer Spring.
Main sights
From the wonderful promenade, to the intriguing Vorarlberg Museum there is something for everyone and the favourable summer climate makes Bregenz a premier tourist destination to explore Lake Constance or even as a base to explore the wider region.
Upper town
- Remains from the 13th and 16th centuries
- Town walls
- Old town hall (1662)
- Martinsturm (Martin’s Tower). Originally built by the Romans, it has a chapel with frescoes dating from 1362. Between 1599 and 1601 an additional storey was added. It has the largest bulb-shaped Baroque steeple in Central Europe, and houses the Museum of Military History.
- Gothic parish church of St Gall: its Romanesque foundations date from before 1380, but it was rebuilt around 1480. Around 1737 it was converted to a Baroque style.
- Herz-Jesu parish church (1905–1908).
Lower town
- Town hall, built in 1686 (façade from 1898)
- Gothic Seekapelle (Lake Chapel)
- Landhaus (built from 1973 to 1982 by W. Holzbauer)
- Former Kornhausmarkt (built 1838 to 1940, altered 1951 to 1955); it now houses a theatre
- Protestant church of the Sacred Cross (1862–1864)
- Church of St Kolumban (1962–1966)
- Kunsthaus Bregenz (1991–1997) (modern art museum)
- Tourismushaus (tourist centre) (1994–1998).
Sights in the district of Vorkloster include the Maria Hilf parish church (1925–1931, by C. Holzmeister, interior from 1980) and the Cistercian monastery of Mehrerau.
On the Gebhardsberg rock are remains of the fortress of Hohenbregenz (destroyed by the Swedes in 1647).
Pfänder
This mighty mountain towers over the town of Bregenz and is a popular tourist destination throughout the region.
The Pfander is reached by the amazing cable car aptly named the Pfanderbhan and is part of what makes the mountain so special – Ascend in the cable cars and see the scenery unfold beneath you and when you eventually get to the top, take in the fantastic views of the epic landscapes that confront you.
Not only can you enjoy the jaw dropping views, there is also an Alpine Park, many hiking trails and a restaurant.
Bregenz Promenade
This enchanting promenade by the edges of Lake Constance is a fantastic place to take a walk at any time of the day really – In the morning watch the sun coming up and see the locals having a jog or walking their dogs, or in the evening mingle among the tourists and stroll in the moonlight.
You can watch the various boats and ferries arriving in the harbour, maybe have a drink in one of the cafes, or even be adventurous and hire a paddle boat.
No matter how long or short your stay is at Bregenz, you can’t pass p at least one walk down this wonderful place.
Lake Constance
Lake Constance, also known as Bodensee is the third largest fresh water lake in Europe and has parts in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
The river Rhine flowers into the lake and it serves as a major water source for parts of Western Germany.
As one of the largest lakes in Europe, there are countless towns to visit that lie on this body of water and with three different countries cultures and identities, endless touristic opportunities.
Bregenz is one of the major cities located on the lake so it has great access and transport links.
Businesses and services
Government
Bregenz is the seat of the Vorarlberg State Assembly (Landtag), and of most of the provincial authorities/institutions of Vorarlberg (e.g. school superintendent, police headquarters, department of human resources development (AMS), Office for Environmental Protection, Chamber of Labour, Economics Chamber, Chamber of Agriculture, Chamber of Pharmacists, military regional headquarters, military garrison, one of the main hospitals of the province (Landeskrankenhaus), as well as a sanatorium, farmers‘ health and social insurance office, VLV (Mutual Fire Insurance Institute).
Consulates
A consulate-general of Turkey, and honorary consulates of Belarus, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, and Switzerland are located in Bregenz. Honorary consulates of Finland and the United Kingdom are located in nearby Lauterach, and an honorary consulate of Brazil in nearby Hard.
Schools and the arts
Bregenz is home to four Gymnasium secondary schools, a commercial college (HAK), a technical college (HTL), upper secondary business schools (Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe), three Berufsschulen (vocational schools), crafts colleges, the Academy of Social Sciences, and a nursing school. Others include: an adult education centre, school boarding houses, state archives, a state library, a state museum, Kunsthaus Bregenz (modern arts centre), Künstlerhaus (art centre), Thurn und Taxis Palace, five monasteries, Heimatwerk (autonomous institution fostering the manufacturing of traditional craft products), and various newspapers.
Public facilities
Festival and Congress centre, Theater am Kornmarkt, casino, harbour for sailing boats and yachts, cable car up onto the Pfänder mountain.
Economy
The economy is mainly dominated by small businesses in the services, trade and industry sectors: these include the textile industry (Wolford AG), fittings manufacturer Julius Blum GmbH, glass processing and machine construction.
Bi-seasonal tourism is important; a major attraction is the Bregenz Festival (since 1946, floating stage since 1949, modernised in 1979, Festival and Congress Hall in 1980), winter sports on the Pfänder mountain.
Culture
Bregenzer Festspiele
The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is world-famous, taking place in July and August each year on and around a stage on Lake Constance. This festival attracts more than 150,000 people every year to Bregenz (2011: 166,453, 2016: 159,172) and has a budget of around EUR 20 million.[8] The program changes every two years. In 2016 the main opera performed was Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, in 2017 and 2018 Carmen by Georges Bizet. In 2021 the opera will be Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi.
In addition to playing on the lake stage, orchestral concerts and operas also take place in the adjacent festival theatre. There is also a children’s and youth program during and before the beginning of the festival.
The lake stage (Seebühne) is the largest open-air theatre in the world, with an audience capacity of around 7,000.
Bregenz Jazz Festival
Since 2014, the Bregenz Jazz Festival has been held every year in June at the Kornmarktplatz. It is the successor of the New Orleans Festival, which took place from 1999 to 2013, during the early summer, in the inner city of Bregenz, and which was no longer supported by the initiator Markus Linder. In addition to the change of name, there was also a musical genre change from blues to jazz. The location and the timing stayed roughly the same.
Bregenzer Spring (Bregenzer Frühling)
Since 1987, Bregenzer Spring, a dance festival, has been held every year between March and May in the Festival Hall of Bregenz. Dance ensembles from all over the world perform their new productions, along with Austrian premieres. With a budget of around EUR 500,000 and up to 10,000 visitors, Bregenzer Spring is one of the most important dance festivals in Austria.
