Montafon - Montafon

The Montafon is the 39 km long high mountain valley of the upper Ill in Vorarlberg with the main town Schruns. The valley runs between the Rätikon and the Silvretta group in the southwest and the Verwall group in the northeast. The Montafon is located in the south of Vorarlberg - at the south-western end of Austria. The alpine valley on the border with Switzerland stretches south from Bludenz to the Silvretta-Bielerhöhe. The high valley with the breathtaking mountain landscape of Rätikon, Silvretta and Verwall is crowned at the head of the valley by the highest mountain in Vorarlberg, the 3,312 meter high Piz Buin. The eleven tourist locations in the Montafon are characterized by an established infrastructure, warm hospitality and authentic Montafon cuisine.

places

Downhill there are the following communities in Montafon:

Gaschurn (1,000 m), with the district Partenen (1,050 m)
St. Gallenkirch (900 m), with the districts Gargellen (1,423 m) and Gortipohl (950 m)
Schruns (700 m)
Tschagguns (700 m)
Silbertal (890 m)
Bartholomäberg (1,087 m)
Vandans (654 m)
St. Anton in the Montafon (650 m)
Lorüns (583 m)

background

The locals divide the valley into Inner- and Ausserfratte (Fratte is the narrow valley near Mauren, southeast of Schruns). The valley's main industries (apart from tourism) are cattle breeding (Montafoner Braunvieh) and forestry, until the 18th century mining was carried out around Bartholomäberg and Silbertal.

language

They speak German - albeit with a very special dialect, Alemannic and Rhaeto-Romanic about equally close. Example: "Wa wänd ir do dinna?" means "what do you want in there?" and is part of the first CD of the Montafon band "Krauthobel", which has been in business for 10 years. There are wonderful Montafon dialect poems by Otto Borger. The valley itself, Montafon, comes from "Munt tafun", "perforated mountain", which probably goes back to the silver mining in (sic!) Silbertal, a side valley in which the Litz rises, which flows through the Montafon capital.

getting there

View from the Hochjoch Schruns and Vandans

The region can be easily and conveniently reached by car. In just 2:30 hours from Munich, 2:50 hours from Stuttgart or in less than two hours from Zurich. Air travelers are advised to choose Altenrhein, Memmingen, Friedrichshafen, Zurich or Munich as their arrival airport. Traveling by public transport is also possible without any problems thanks to the good network of connections.

mobility

Public transport

Of Bludenz to Schruns perverts the Montafonerbahn, a regional train of the company MBS, with stops in all places in between. In the village of Vandans there is also a bus to the Golmerbahn, which leads to the Golm ski area. At the terminus in Schruns, there are several buses in the direction of Latschau, Tschagguns, Silvretta-Bielerhöhe and St. Gallenkirch.

Tourist Attractions

Unparalleled variety is guaranteed in the Montafon. In the Montafon you can expect 295 kilometers of slopes and over 74 lifts in a total of eight ski areas. From easy slopes to black racing pistes, there is something for every skier and snowboarder. Comfortable mountain restaurants and huts with wonderful sun terraces provide for refreshment in between with delicious home-style cooking. Always with warm hospitality, because the personal is in the nature of the valley dwellers.

winter

The Montafon is a winter sports area known far beyond the borders of Austria.

Adventure mountain Golm: Medium-sized ski area with the steepest run in Voralberg, but not suitable for beginners as all blue runs are very dark blue. Nice mountain restaurant at the mountain station, there are also good refreshment stops at the Matschwitz middle station and on some ski slopes. A large part of the ski area is artificially snowed when there is no snow. You can get up with a gondola lift from Vandans or from the Latschau middle station from where buses go to Schruns. A toboggan run is laid out from Latschau to Vandans.
Silvretta Montafon, structured in:
- Hochjoch: Large ski area with the longest descent in the Montafon ("Hochjoch Totale") and a restaurant at the mountain station of both mountain railways from Schruns (one gondola lift and one aerial tramway) Coming from Silbertal you take a chair lift (this can of course only be used by skiers) . You can also toboggan from the mountain station to the middle station of the Hochjochbahn.
- Silvretta Nova: Very large ski area with many slopes, the most varied of the areas in the Montafon, as it has something to offer for beginners to black piste fans. There are gondola lifts from St.Gallenkirch and Gaschurn. The ski slope from the mountain station of a chairlift down into the valley to St. Gallenkirch turns into a night toboggan run at night.
Enjoyment mountain Kristberg: Very small mountain suitable for beginners with two tow lifts and a cable car into the valley to Silbertal. Many places to stop for a break upstairs. For advanced skiers there is a red slope and a ski route into the valley, for beginners there are two blue slopes. The toboggan run extends to the Stelza middle station.
Gargellner Bergbahnen: Mountain suitable for beginners (but also for professionals) with three valley runs and nice refreshment stops at the mountain station. The mountain often has snow even when it is green elsewhere in the Montafon, since the valley station is already at an altitude of 1400m. There is no toboggan run.

Data & facts winter

74 cable cars and lifts (Montafon Brandnertal Card multi-day card)
Ski areas: Silvretta Montafon, Erlebnisberg Golm, Gargellner Bergbahnen, Genießerberg Kristberg, Silvretta-Bielerhöhe
Other ski areas in the region: Bergbahnen Brandnertal, Muttersberg, Schnifis, Gurtis / Bazora
295 km of slopes including ski routes
5 toboggan runs and 2 illuminated night toboggan runs
1 covered artificial ice rink in the Aktivpark Montafon
4 snow parks
290 km of prepared, partly illuminated winter hiking trails
150 km of signposted snowshoe routes
90 km of cross-country trails - without connecting trails (67.6 km classic / 21.9 km skating)
7 ski and snowboard schools
Interactive map with 150 tour tips for the winter (touren.montafon.at)

summer

At the Adventure mountain Golm Above the village of Vandans there is an almost inexhaustible network of well-marked hiking trails, Vorarlberg's largest forest rope park, the 565m long Flying Fox over the Latschau reservoir, the Alpine Coaster (a summer toboggan run on rails) and a research trail for children

Data & facts summer

hike

1,160 kilometers of hiking trails
More than 40 rustic huts and mountain restaurants
From easy to difficult, barrier-free and family-friendly: there are more than 267 hiking tours for every taste
More than 20 special mountain experiences
Montafon hut tour: long-distance hiking trail with 12 stages

Biking

260 kilometers of cycle, mountain bike and e-mountain bike trails
More than 60 bike tours - from easy to demanding, which ensure variety every day on the bike
17 mountain experiences that make your bike holiday an unforgettable one

Climb

19 via ferratas in the Rätikon, Verwall and Silvretta
2 climbing gardens to get to know the height
11 mountain experiences of a special kind
Indoor climbing hall and bouldering area for rainy days

kitchen

The Montafon Sura Kees shaped the valley in the south of Vorarlberg for centuries. This particularly healthy cheese has been made in the Alpine Alps since the 12th century due to its low fat content. Versatile, this specialty has regained its place in the Montafon kitchen. The Montafon can refer to one of the oldest traditions in cheese production in the Alpine region: From the 12th to the 17th century, sour cheese production flourished in the Montafon. But with the emerging rennet cheese, the Montafon Sura Kees faced great competition. Due to the fact that it could be stored and transported, the rennet cheese was more suitable for supraregional trade and thus replaced the sour cheese. Only in the Montafon has the knowledge of the production been retained.

But the cheese, steeped in history, had to survive another crisis: After numerous Montafon dairies disappeared in the 1960s, it was not until the 1990s that there was a return. The traditional Montafon Sura Kees became more and more popular and started to fly high. The specialty has regained its place in the Montafon kitchen. Restaurants and inns in the region have also dedicated themselves to the Montafon Sura Kees and prepare delicious dishes with it. The cheese is mainly produced in the Alps during the summer months. Around 800 cows provide the milk for cheese production on 13 alpine pastures. Because the demand is so great in the meantime, some farms now produce the Montafon Sura Kees all year round. The basic procedure has hardly changed since the 12th century.

accommodation

The entire valley has excellent hotels, extensive sports and leisure facilities. More information is available at: http://www.montafon.at

climate

literature

Web links

Montafon Tourism:https://www.montafon.at/de
Gargellen mountain railways:https://www.montafon.at/bergbahnen-gargellen/de
Adventure mountain Golm:https://www.golm.at/de
Leisure mountain Kristberg:https://www.montafon.at/kristberg/de
Silvretta Montafon:https://www.silvretta-montafon.at/de/sommer

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