Feldkirch (Vorarlberg)

Feldkirch is a city in the state of Vorarlberg, Austria, founded in 1190. It is located at 47°14´N 9°36´E and at an altitude of 458 m s. n. m., west of Austria, bordering Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The Ill River runs through the city before flowing into the Rhine River. The city was built in the Middle Ages inside a valley almost completely surrounded by forests and rocky cliffs. Its strategic location near the Arlberg Pass made it a heavily fortified city in the Middle Ages. Today, its population exceeds 30,000 inhabitants.

It is the administrative center of the Feldkirch district and the second most populous city in Vorarlberg, after Dornbirn, it is even slightly larger than Bregenz, the state capital.

Feldkirch is also the name of the region (of the four into which Vorarlberg is divided), which includes the city of Rankweil and others.

Feldkirch consists of seven districts: Altenstadt, Gisingen, Nofels, Tosters, Tisis, Levis, Feldkirch

Culture and places of interest

Constructions

Feldkirch Old Town

Feldkirch has one of the best preserved medieval landscapes in Vorarlberg. The city was built around 1200 at the same time as Schattenburg Castle and has a geometric grid system. Since the city wall was rebuilt around 1500, the city has remained unchanged over the centuries.

Since 2015, the Ensemble Feldkirch has been registered on the Austrian List of Cultural Property (cultural property protected according to the Hague Convention). The city is also a member of the Association of Small Historic Towns.

Fortified city

• Gate Chur: The Churer Tor was built as part of the old city wall in 1491 and is located at the exit of the Montfortgasse towards the Hirschgraben. The name derives from the Churerstraße that begins here. Because by this door was the salt chamber until the last change of century, in which the salt was stored at that time, it is also called the "door of salt". On the wall of the building there is a shield of stone weapons with the Feldkirch shield in a rolling cartridge (1591).

• In the Hirschgraben you will find the tower Katzenturm (also called "gross twist"). It was built between 1491 and 1507 as part of the fortifications of the city against the Swiss under the rule of the Roman-German king and later Emperor Maximilian I. In the centuryXVII was built the bell tower of the great bell of the church (the largest of Vorarlberg). The powerful six-story round tower was decorated with an image of the Virgin Mary, which was restored by Florus Scheel in the centuryXIX. The name comes from the cats (arms) that stayed in the fortified tower.

• Dust tower: The 1460 tower is located on the south corner of the city wall, near the Mühletor.

• Water tower: It is located in the western corner of the city, just like the tower Diebesturm.

Castles and palaces

• Castle of Shadows: The Schattenburg was the ancestral headquarters of the Counts of Montfort until 1390 and the first phase of construction began around 1230 bass Hugo I de Montfort, founder of the city. With the count Friedrich von Toggenburg (1416-1436) and the sheriff Hans von Königsegg, the Schattenburg was expanded and redesigned in the centuryXV. Since 1825, it is owned by the city of Feldkirch, which acquired it by 833 guilders at that time. The Schattenburg now served as barracks and later as a shelter for the poor. In the rooms on the ground floor the castle houses a restaurant, on the upper floors there is a local history museum, which attracts about 25,000 visitors a year.

• Palais Liechtenstein: In its current form, the house of the street Schlossergasse n.o 8 was built in baroque style after the fire of 1697 as office building for the prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein. In 1848 he passed into the hands of the family Tschavollof whose heirs acquired the city in 1967. Today the building is used as a archive and library of the city.

Churches, monasteries, chapels and other places of worship

• Parish Church of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas: It was first mentioned in 1287. The cathedral church is the most important Gothic church in Vorarlberg. Its meaning can be seen above all in the interior. Among other works of art there is also a Gothic pulpit of forged iron, which originated in an original sacramental house.

• La Frauenkirche (Church of the Annunciation and San Sebastian and San Antonio) is located southeast of the Chur Gate. Originally dated from 1473, but was redesigned largely in 1672-1678; since 1990, the Serbian Orthodox parish church has been equipped with iconstasy.

• Johanniterkirche: The church St. John the Baptist in Marktgasse was built in 1218 under the name Hugo Conde Montfort as the Church of the Order of Saint John. Since 1665 he belonged to the monastery Ottobeuren. After secularization he served as the primary school church from 1809 to 1969. On the side of the fronton, a gentleman, the "Bläsi", play a bell every hour to indicate the time.

• La Church of the Cemetery of Saint Peter and Paul, built in 1551, is located in the center of the cemetery in the north of the city, which was built in 1549. Here is also an arms shield from the tombstone Franz Ferdinand Ramschwag (1716).

• The Capuchin Monastery of Feldkirch was founded in 1602. In 1605, the monastery was finished in the northeast of the city, outside the old city walls, and the church was consecrated to the sacrifice of the Virgin Mary. The patron saint of the city, San Fidelis de SigmaringenHe is particularly venerated here, since in 1621 he was the head of the monastery and his head is preserved in the monastery.

Villas and other residential buildings

The Feldkirch bourgeoisie built several representative residential buildings in the 19th century, most of which are still owned private.

• Villa Getzner: The sandstone villa, with shed and service house, was built in 1882 according to the plans of the Swiss architect Hilarius Knobel. The building is a protected building.
• Villa Feldegg: This villa was built in 1861, the architect is unknown. It is characterized by a high central risalit with five axes of windows and a balcony with three arches. It is a rare example of the fact that the culture of the construction, largely anonymous, of the Biedermeier era reached the quality of the first Art Nouveau buildings despite its historical accessories.
• Villa Claudia: The red building Art Nouveau with onion towers is now public property and houses the registration office of Feldkirch. It is also a place for exhibitions.

Life and cultural events

Saumarkt Theater

The Saumarkt is an important regional cultural mediator that reflects current cultural trends over and over again, presents them locally and puts them to debate. In addition, they regularly offer their own premieres and productions in cooperation with professionals from the country's culture.

Poolbar Festival

Every summer, in July and August, the Poolbar-Festival offers concerts, cinema, short films, cabaret, poetry recitals, competitions, fashion performances, debates, etc. for six weeks. The event venue is the former Stella Matutina indoor pool in the Reichenfeldpark, right next to the city center. The institution, which is renewed every summer, is determined through an international architectural competition. Art and fashion competitions also enrich the festival.

Blosengelmarkt

Every year at the beginning of Advent, this market starts in the center, which is a normal Christmas market during the day and inviting to stay with mulled wine at night.

Juggling Festival

Street performers from ten nations perform in the old town for two days as clowns, jugglers, pantomimes and comedians.

Vinobile Feldkirch

More than 100 winegrowers from all the wine regions of Austria are presented at the Vinobile fair.

Feldkirch Wine Festival

In July, the Feldkirch Wein Festival, known beyond the country's borders, is held on Marktgasse. The event was introduced in 1967 and was originally called Wachauer Weinfest. Restaurants and cafes present various wine specialties over a weekend.

Lichtstadt Feldkirch

Lichtstadt Feldkirch is an urban Light Art festival. The art of light manifests itself in numerous formats, often across genres. The light objects, films, projections, mappings and sculptures make space, time and the viewer an active part of the work.

POTENTIALe

POTENTIALe Messe & Festival is a fair and arts festival in Feldkirch that was first held in 2007. At the fair and festival, around 110 exhibitors present their products and ideas in a 3,373 m² exhibition space. In addition to an antiques market, there are workshops and discussion groups, a 'design laboratory', photography exhibitions, as well as music and film presentations.