Bregenzerwald is one of the main regions in the state

States of Austria

Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...

 of Vorarlberg

Vorarlberg

Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. Geologically, the Bregenzerwald is a mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 of the Northern Limestone Alps

Northern Limestone Alps

The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...

, specifically the northern flysch

Flysch

Flysch is a sequence of sedimentary rocks that is deposited in a deep marine facies in the foreland basin of a developing orogen. Flysch is typically deposited during an early stage of the orogenesis. When the orogen evolves the foreland basin becomes shallower and molasse is deposited on top of...

 zone. It is the drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Bregenzer Ach

Bregenzer Ach

The Bregenzer Ache is the main river of the Bregenzerwald, in the Vorarlberg state of Austria. It is a tributary to the Lake Constance....

 river.

The inhabitants often divide the Bregenzerwald into two main areas, the Vorderwald and Hinterwald. The Vorderwald, with its hills and lower mountains, is closest to the Rhine valley. The Hinterwald has the higher mountains, with altitudes of up to 2,000 meters. Each of the two parts has its own distinctive dialect variations.

The main villages in Bregenzerwald are Bezau

Bezau

Bezau is a town in the Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg, Austria, part of the district Bregenz. As of 2002 it has a population of 1,926. Bezau is a popular tourist destination around the year, due to its vicinity to ski resorts and hiking trails. Its pittoresque church was built in 1906 and is devoted to...

 - the regional capital - Alberschwende

Alberschwende

Alberschwende is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria.-External links:* at Tiscover...

 and Egg

Egg, Austria

Egg is a town in the Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg, Austria, part of the district Bregenz.-External links:*http://www.egg.at...

. Alberschwende as a historic "Hofsteig" municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 formerly was not part of the Bregenzerwald region.

Most of the working population is employed in tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 and agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, the latter decreasing rapidly due to the broad variety of job opportunities in the nearby region of the Rhine Valley.

Bregenzerwald is best known as a skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

location, but other attractions include the "Bregenzerwälder Cheese Route" or the "Schubertiade" festival for classical music in Schwarzenberg. The Bregenzerwald attracts those in search of unspoiled nature, old traditions and genuine hospitality.

Bregenzerwald also has a robust agricultural economy. Farming, timber and wood working and sustainable building are some of the leading industries.

External links

• http://www.bregenzerwald.at - Touristic website
• http://www.alpelino.com/sommer/bregenzerwald - Tourist information
• http://www.bregenzerwaldhotels.at - Hotels