Bludenz

Sister cities

• Plettenberg

History

Archaeological finds indicate that settlement in the area of Bludenz began in the Bronze Age, and continued throughout the La Tène era. Bludenz itself was first mentioned in the year 830 CE in an urbarium of the Raetian estates within the Carolingian Empire. The town was established by the comital Werdenberg dynasty; town privileges were granted in 1274. A stay by the Habsburg Duke Frederick IV of Austria, who had just received an imperial ban at the Council of Constance, is documented from 30 March 1416. Four years later, Bludenz passed into the Further Austrian possessions of the Habsburg dynasty. The Bludenz district headquarters are situated in the Castle of Gayenhofen, built in the 18th century. In 1873, the German and Austrian Alpine Club was created in a merger between the German Alpine Club and the Austrian Alpine Club in the former shooting lodge next to Gayenhofen Castle. At the end of World War One, the region voted against joining Switzerland in the 1919 Vorarlberg annexation referendum, being one of only three municipalities to do so. After the Anschluss, the region became part of Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg. The South Tyrol Option Agreement lead to a large influx of South-Tyrolers into the region, and as a result, new accommodation was built for those moving to the region. In 1943, the tower of the Church of the Holy Cross was used as an aerial observation post, with an air station being built on Mutterberg. Anti-air guns were mounted in the Bludenz train station and the Bürs substation. French troops liberated the region in May 1945 and remained until the end of Allied-occupied Austria.

Geography

The town is located on the Ill River, a direct tributary of the Rhine. It is surrounded by the ranges of the Bregenz Forest Mountains in the north, and by the Rätikon and Silvretta ranges in the south. Bludenz lies at the meeting point of five valleys: Walgau and Montafon (Ill), Brandnertal, Klostertal up to Arlberg Pass, and Großes Walsertal. Bludenz is a popular starting point for hiking and mountain-biking in spring, summer, and autumn. It is located not far from many skiing resorts (e.g., Brand and Lech). Major companies are Mondelēz International (Milka chocolate) and the Fohrenburg brewery which was established in 1881.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  940
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  899
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  835
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  822
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  768
• Heath Spotted-orchid

  Dactylorhiza maculata (L.) Soó · Liliopsida
  631
• Red Kite

  Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  603
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  590

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2026-04-26
  1 km SSW of Walenstadt, Switzerland
• M 4.2 — 2024-06-04
  2 km NNW of Unteriberg, Switzerland
• M 3.8 — 2022-09-01
  2 km WSW of Sevelen, Switzerland
• M 2.5 — 2021-10-03
  5 km NNE of Silandro, Italy
• M 4 — 2020-10-25
  5 km ESE of Ennenda, Switzerland
• M 3.6 — 2020-08-08
  5 km SE of Gramais, Austria