Bodensee Vorarlberg

Set the point of a compass in the centre of Lake Constance and draw a circle with a 100-kilometre radius and the section will cover an area that offers the highest quality of life to its residents. The Bodensee-Vorarlberg region between the Pfänder and the Montfort city of Feldkirch has been lucky enough to get a good portion of this holiday pie. The environment is very important to the people who live here. The Alemannic sense for the practical and sustainable has not only resulted in nature remaining largely intact but has also produced a flourishing landscape of small to medium-sized enterprises. Numerous companies are involved in international markets – often as the market leaders. ‘Schaffa, schaffa, Hüsle baua,’ (‘Work, work, get your house built’) is what they say here. Vorarlberg today counts among one of the leading architectural regions in the world. Many pioneers of the ‘Vorarlberger Bauschule’ (‘Vorarlberg School of Architecture’) have their offices here.

Bicycles are one of the most popular means of transport in the region. That’s because there’s a dense network of cycle paths that connects the cities, towns and villages – all of which are alive and active. And look as if they had been simply sprinkled among the meadows, forests, reed landscapes and the hills of the mountain ranges that line the Vorarlberg Rhine Valley: the foothills of the Bregenzerwald mountains to the left present a view of the peaks of the Rätikon while the Alpstein marks Swiss territory to the right. If you want to see the Bodensee-Vorarlberg region in all its splendour, it’s best to do so from one of the elevated vantage points, the Pfänder near Bregenz and the Karren near Dornbirn are easily reached by cable car. Hearty meals are then to be had in the cosy mountain restaurants. The ‘Hohe Kugel’ is a hot tip … but in this case you have to earn the beautiful view by walking up the mountain.

Bregenz is the state capital and nestles between Lake Constance and the Pfänder. You’ll have to pack your swimming gear along with the materials you need for your conference – workshop hotels and the congress centre are just a few steps away from the lake. It all becomes a great show when, while the sun is still shining, hundreds of people take a last swim at the ‘Pipeline’ in the evening and the camp fires create a hippie feeling on the shore. Just like the Bregenz Festival: every summer, far more than 100,000 opera lovers arrive to admire the spectacular sets on the world’s largest outdoor stage. That’s where, by the way, James Bond found ‘A Quantum of Solace’ and chased his adversaries through the theatre and across the floating lake stage. You won’t find an airport … sneakily edited into the film … in Bregenz. But Altenrhein airport and Friedrichshafen airport on the Swiss and German sides of the lake respectively and Memmingen airport in neighbouring Allgäu are very close by.

Dornbirn is the city that boasts the largest population in Vorarlberg. With its lively centre around the market square and the noble villas in Oberdorf, it has retained the character of the five farming villages from which it developed. As a trade fair city, Dornbirn is home to a modern trade-fair district. It may also be used throughout the year as an event centre for concerts, congresses, sports events and other undertakings. The Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences on the Dornbirn campus turns out highly qualified young talent. Talent that the high-tech companies that have settled around Lake Constance are on the lookout for.

Exciting stories can be told in the Jewish quarter of Hohenems with its museum, castle ruins and the count’s palace. Original manuscripts for the Nibelungenlied were discovered at the palace of the Waldburg-Zeil family. The location is today the venue for stylish celebrations and events. The Schubertiade surprises its visitors from around the world with top-class stars of classical music. The business park at Otten fuses old architecture with new and reveals the role that art plays in this characterful combination.

Feldkirch with its medieval old town has made itself at home at the foot of Schattenburg Castle. The residents of Feldkirch are masters of time travel: the biennial Montafortspektakel (Montfort Spectacle) celebrates the legendary period of the Middle Ages – while the Poolbar Festival in summer has itself become an avant-garde work of contemporary art. Visitors with a penchant for music, art, design, film and theatre will find a cornucopia of museums, galleries, cellar theatres and unusual event locations to enjoy. The Montforthaus Feldkirch constitutes the heart and is available as a modern congress centre right at the centre of activities.

Art and culture, leisure and sport or business: the event calendars in the Bodensee-Vorarlberg region are full to the brim and offer lots of material for sophisticated accompanying programmes for congresses, workshops and events of all conceivable kinds. The hotel sector has something for every taste, whether stylish designer hotel, cosy city hotel, secluded hotel with rooms for workshops in the midst of greenery or wellness hotel with panoramic views. And relaxation is not far away for focused minds in the meeting room: the ski and hiking areas are just a stone’s throw away and the inns and restaurants enjoy serving guests who appreciate good food and drink.