Feldkirch is an enchanting town on the border between Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and is the second largest town in the Vorarlberg region.

Feldkirch is a medieval town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, bordering on Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is the administrative centre of the Feldkirch district. After Dornbirn, it is the second most populous town in Vorarlberg. The westernmost point in Austria lies in Feldkirch on the river Rhine, at the tripoint between Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Culture and landmarks

Central Feldkirch

Feldkirch has one of the best preserved medieval townscapes of Vorarlberg. The town was built around 1200 and has a geometric grid system. Since around 1500, when the city wall was rebuilt, the city has remained unchanged over the centuries.

Since 2015, the Feldkirch Municipal Ensemble has been listed in the Austrian List of Cultural Heritage (cultural property protected by the Hague Convention). The city is also a member of the Association of Small Historic Towns, a tourism marketing association.

City fortification

The streets of the Schlossgraben, Hirschgraben and St. Leonhardsplatz marked the former course of the city wall surrounding the Neustadt area in the 13th century. The wall was largely rebuilt around 1500, and torn down in many places beginning in 1826.

When Feldkirch was surrounded by a city wall and a city moat, one could enter the city only through one of its four gates. These city gates were called Bregenzertor or Nikolaustor, Bludenzertor or Schultor, Milltor or Sautor, and Churertor or Salztor. The last two gates are still standing, the other two were removed together with the city wall at the beginning of the 19th century.

Castles and palaces

• The Schattenburg in FeldkirchSchattenburg: The Schattenburg castle was the seat of the counts of Montfort until 1390. The first construction phase began around 1230 under Hugo I of Montfort, the founder of the city. Under Count Friedrich von Toggenburg (1416–1436) and under the Vogt Hans of Königsegg extensions and transformations of the Schattenburg castle were built in the 15th century. After the counts lost their power, the castle was repeatedly put up for auction, and was even to be demolished in 1813. Since 1825 the castle has been owned by the town of Feldkirch, which at that time acquired it for 833 florins. The castle then served as barracks, and later as accommodation for the poor. The castle owes its rescue and revitalization to the Museum and Homeland Security Association for Feldkirch and the Surrounding Area which was founded in 1912. The upper floors are home to a museum of local history that attracts about 25,000 visitors annually.
• Ruins of Tosters: The ruins of a hill castle on a hillside part of the Schellenberg, in the Feldkirch district of Tosters.
• Palais Liechtenstein: In today’s form, the house was built in the Schlossergasse No. 8 after the town fire of 1697, as an office building for the prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein in Baroque style. In 1848 it became the property of Andreas Ritter of Tschavoll, at that time Feldkirch mayor and manufacturer. The town acquired the palais in 1967 and today the building is used as an exhibition centre. It is home of the cultural council, and also the seat of the city library and the city archives.^[8]

Villas and other residential buildings

In the 19th century the Feldkirch bourgeoisie built a number of prestigious residential buildings, most of which are still privately owned. The villas were built mostly on the Reichsstraße, mainly in the area between the Bärenkreuzung and the train station.

Cultural events

The Poolbar Festival is a modern music and cultural festival in Feldkirch. Held annually in July and August, it attracts around 20,000 visitors; it features music, exhibitions, poetry slams, fashion and an architectural prize. It was first held in 1994 as a cultural summer-academy and is, in its organization and implementation of landscape and architecture, very different from other open-air events.

The light art festival Lichtstadt Feldkirch lets international artists fill the city of Feldkirch with light objects, projections and sculptures. Its first edition was held in 2018 and attracted 30.000 visitors. The festival will take place every other year.

The POTENTIALe (formerly ‘ArtDesign Feldkirch’) is an art fair and festival at which about 110 exhibitors present their products and ideas. In addition to a vintage market, there are workshops and discussion groups, a design laboratory, photography exhibitions, and music and films are presented. The aim of the festival is to establish a network of artists, craftsmen and customers that share the common vision of sustainable design.

The Feldkirch Festival (2001-2012) was an annual summer festival that offered theater performances, concerts and other cultural events

Discover Feldkirch…

Schattenburg Castle

This castle museum is one of the earliest mentioned records of Feldkirch and dates back to the 12th century.

Originally a residence of the Earls of neighbouring Bregenz for over 200 years, the castle then changed ownership to the mighty Habsburg leaders who ruled over the estate until the late 1700’s.

The beautiful building with its white walls and brown tiled roofs stands out in Feldkirch and the museum and restaurant inside are of particularly good quality.

The museum is split into several different themed rooms, all of which have been restored and feature historical furniture and architecture.

Feldkirch Wildpark

This enchanting animal park is located just to the east of the river and in the grounds of the huge Erholungswald public park.

Inside the park there are several areas including an adventure park for children complete with a play area and barbeque, and the wildlife park itself which has over 140 different animals such as the Capercaille, the shy Lynx, delightful mini-pigs, Ibexes and graceful Red Deer.

The animals have plenty of space and the Wildpark is a great day out for all the family and continently located in Feldkirch.

The Katzenturm (Cat tower)

Feldkirch has many old remnants of its defensive walls and towers and the Katzenturm is one of the finest and most complete examples.

This defensive tower stands at over 8 stories high and was built during the Habsburgs reign between 1491-1507 by King Maximillian I as part of the towns fortifications.

At the top of the tower hangs the huge 8573kg Katzenturm bell which was added in 1857 and is actually the 6th largest bell in Austria.

You can hear this monumental bell ring every Friday at 3pm and its sound reverberates throughout Feldkirch.

One interesting thing to note, is that the Cat tower actually has no relation to the feline name, but instead actually refers to the heavy guns that were used inside the tower.

Drei Schwestern Mountain

The three sisters mountain range is right on the border between Liechtenstein and Austria and part of the Western Central Alps.

This impressive range offers superb hiking and climbing opportunities with a well developed network of trails and also roads for initial access.

The tallest of the peaks is the Great Sister with a height of 2053m above sea level.

The hikes can take anywhere up to 5 hours or even days depending on the route and difficulty but offer stunning views of the Austrian landscape and of the small villages below in the valleys.

Erholungswald Park

This huge wooded parkland lies in the centre of Feldkirch and has the Feldkirch Wildpark at its southern end.

The park spreads for an extensive stretch and is covered by beautiful woodland with many walking trails and paths leading through it.

You can start trails from many different places around the edges of the forest and it has great access especially from the Wildpark.

Gurtis Bazora Ski Resort

This enchanting Ski Resort lies approximately 40 minutes drive to the south of Feldkirch in-between the two villages of Gurtis and Bazora.

With over 5km of slopes available that are accessible via 4 ski-lifts, the resort has something for everyone with a range of difficulties.

The elevation is between 900-1400m and you can practice both Skiing and Snowboarding here.

For spectacular views and some amazing adrenaline packed activities, the Gurtis-Bazora Ski Resort has it all and its proximity to both the Liechtenstein border and Feldkirch make it an ideal winter destination.