Dornbirn
Encyclopedia
Dornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg
, Austria
. It is the administrative center of the district (Bezirk
) Dornbirn
, which also includes the city of Hohenems
, and the market town Lustenau
.
The largest city in Vorarlberg and the tenth largest in all of Austria, Dornbirn is an important commercial and shopping center.
at 437 meters above sea level in the Rhine Valley
, at the foot of the Karren mountain
, part of the Bregenzerwaldgebirge mountain chain at the edge of the Eastern Alps
. It is near the borders to Switzerland
, Germany
and Liechtenstein
. The Dornbirner Ach
river flows through the city and later into Lake Constance
.
Dornbirn once consisted only of 4 "quarters": Markt, Hatlerdorf, Oberdorf and Haselstauden. By the 20th century Dornbirn had annexed two formerly independent communities to the west: Rohrbach and Schoren, thus bringing the total number of districts to 6.
: (Lauterach
, Wolfurt
, Schwarzach
, Bildstein
, Alberschwende
, Schwarzenberg
, Reuthe
, Mellau
, Damüls
) and four with the Feldkirch district
: (Laterns
, Zwischenwasser
, Viktorsberg
, Fraxern
).
farmer living there) and thus has nothing to do with "pears" (German "Birnen"), although this fruit is prominently portrayed on the city emblem. This name is mentioned for the first time in 895, in a document from St. Gallen
(Switzerland
).
Dornbirn became part of the Habsburg
Monarchy in 1380. In 1793 it was elevated to a market community. It was not given municipal status until 1901. In 1932 the mountain village of Ebnit was annexed. In 1969 Dornbirn became the seat of the new Dornbirn district administrative authority.
The Dornbirn Municipal Council has 36 seats and the following party mandates:
The current mayor (since 1999) is Wolfgang Rümmele (ÖVP).
with
is an indoor sporting arena located in Dornbirn, and home to the local ice hockey
team.
of the ORF
(Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) is located.
Zumtobel Lighting Group
is an ATX traded
company based in Dornbirn.
Many other large companies are situated there. The city was formerly a major center of the textile
industry
, which has been in decline since the 1980s.
lines, connecting Bregenz
to the north, Feldkirch
to the south, and the Bregenzerwald
to the east. The A14 Rheintal freeway/motorway (Autobahn) passes by to the west. The Achrain tunnel, opened in 2009, directly connects Dornbirn/Haselstauden with the Bregenzerwald - Alberschwende. The city has an excellent network of city buses.
Dornbirn's railway
station connects is an important stop for all trains from west to east Austria.
A small airport
is located at nearby Hohenems
.
Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
, two General Education Secondary Schools, and a Higher Technical Vocational College (Höhere Technische Lehranstalt
).
.
Baseball & Softball Club Dornbirn was founded in 1990, and has won the Austrian title twice. BSC Dornbirn consists of one youth team, two men's teams, and two women's teams. www.indians.at for more information.
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...
. It is the administrative center of the district (Bezirk
Bezirk
Bezirk means "district" in German and can refer to:* The primary Subdivisions of East Germany from 1952* The districts of Austria* Some of the Districts of Switzerland...
) Dornbirn
Dornbirn (district)
The Bezirk Dornbirn is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is a rather young district, which was split from the Feldkirch district only in 1969....
, which also includes the city of Hohenems
Hohenems
Hohenems is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 15,200 it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg...
, and the market town Lustenau
Lustenau
Lustenau is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the Dornbirn district. It lies on the Rhine River, which forms the border with Switzerland. Lustenau is Vorarlberg's fourth largest town in terms of inhabitants ....
.
The largest city in Vorarlberg and the tenth largest in all of Austria, Dornbirn is an important commercial and shopping center.
Geographical situation
Dornbirn is located in western VorarlbergVorarlberg
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...
at 437 meters above sea level in the Rhine Valley
Rhine Valley
The Rhine Valley is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine , i.e. the section of the Rhine River between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and its mouth at Lake Constance....
, at the foot of the Karren mountain
Karren (mountain)
The Karren is a mountain which belongs to the city of Dornbirn, which is located in the very western part of Austria.There is a cable car which goes to the top of the mountain. The summit station includes a panorama restaurant from which a great area, expanding to Switzerland and Germany, can be...
, part of the Bregenzerwaldgebirge mountain chain at the edge of the Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line.-Geography:The...
. It is near the borders to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
. The Dornbirner Ach
Dornbirner Ach
Dornbirner Ach is a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, with its source up in the valley near the alpine village Ebnit. It flows through the famous "Rappenlochschlucht" gorge straight to Dornbirn, cuts through the town and the meanders off over a broad meadow landscape, the Lauterach Ried, finally...
river flows through the city and later into Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
.
Municipal structure
Neighboring municipalities
The Town of Dornbirn constitutes almost 70% of the surface of the district Dornbirn and has numerous borders to other municipalities. As well as bordering on the two other municipalities in the Dornbirn district (Hohenems and Lustenau), the town shares borders with 15 municipalities of the Bregenz districtBregenz (district)
The Bezirk Bregenz is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria. It comprises the Bregenzerwald region, the Leiblach valley, and the Austrian part of Lake Constance....
: (Lauterach
Lauterach
Lauterach is a market town in the district of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria. Its population was recorded as 9,183 in 2003.Honorary consulates of Finland, and the United Kingdom are located in Lauterach....
, Wolfurt
Wolfurt
Wolfurt is a municipality in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg.-External links:*...
, Schwarzach
Schwarzach
The term Schwarzach can refer to:* Schwarzach im Pongau, Salzburg, Austria* Schwarzach, Vorarlberg, Austria* Schwarzach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Schwarzach am Main, Kitzingen district, Bavaria, Germany...
, Bildstein
Bildstein
Bildstein is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in Vorarlberg, Austria....
, Alberschwende
Alberschwende
Alberschwende is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria.-External links:* at Tiscover...
, Schwarzenberg
Schwarzenberg, Austria
Schwarzenberg is a village in the Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg, Austria, part of the district Bregenz. As of 2002 it has a population of 1,805. The village center is heritage-protected for its clapboard houses....
, Reuthe
Reuthe
Reuthe is a small village in Vorarlberg, Austria in the district of Bregenz. Its main income is tourism.-External links:*http://www.tiscover.at/reuthe*http://www.bregenzerwaldhotels.at/...
, Mellau
Mellau
Mellau is a town in the Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg, Austria, part of the district Bregenz. As of 2008 it had a population of 1,298.-History:...
, Damüls
Damüls
Damüls is a municipality and popular tourism resort in the district of Bregenz in Vorarlberg, Austria. Damüls also holds the world record of the municipality with the most annual snowfall - the average is 9.30 meters per year....
) and four with the Feldkirch district
Feldkirch (district)
The Bezirk Feldkirch is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria.Area of the district is 278.26 km², population is 98,717 , and population density 350 persons per km²...
: (Laterns
Laterns
Laterns is a small municipality in the district of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg, Austria....
, Zwischenwasser
Zwischenwasser
Zwischenwasser is a municipality in the district of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg, Austria.Zwischenwasser has 3 villages, Muntlix the biggest part of Zwischenwasser, Batschuns and Dafins...
, Viktorsberg
Viktorsberg
Viktorsberg is a small municipality in the district of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg, Austria....
, Fraxern
Fraxern
Fraxern is a small municipality in the district of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg, Austria....
).
History
The earliest evidence of human presence in the Dornbirn area can be dated from the Mesolithic era. The name "Dornbirn" derives from 'torrin puirron', meaning the 'Settlement of Torro' (the name of an AlemannicAlamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
farmer living there) and thus has nothing to do with "pears" (German "Birnen"), although this fruit is prominently portrayed on the city emblem. This name is mentioned for the first time in 895, in a document from St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
(Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
).
Dornbirn became part of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Monarchy in 1380. In 1793 it was elevated to a market community. It was not given municipal status until 1901. In 1932 the mountain village of Ebnit was annexed. In 1969 Dornbirn became the seat of the new Dornbirn district administrative authority.
Municipal Council
- 21 ÖVPOVPOVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
- 8 SPÖSPO- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
- 4 Die Grünen
- 3 FPÖFPOFPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
The current mayor (since 1999) is Wolfgang Rümmele (ÖVP).
International relations
Dornbirn has town partnershipsTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with
- KecskemétKecskemétKecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... - SélestatSélestatSélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.-Geography:...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Well-known citizens of Dornbirn
- Angelika Birck, psychologist
- Reinhard Eugen Bösch, politician
- Karl Cordin, ski racer
- Artur Doppelmayr, cable car constructor
- Francis Martin DrexelFrancis Martin DrexelFrancis Martin Drexel was a Philadelphia banker and artist. He was the father of Anthony Joseph Drexel, the founder of Drexel University and the grandfather of Saint Katherine Drexel....
(1792–1863), Philadelphia banker and artist - Margret Dünser, journalist
- Ingrid Eberle, ski racer
- Wolfgang Flatz, artist, scenic designer, musician and composer
- Elfi GrafElfi GrafElfi Graf is an Austrian Schlagersinger.-Biography:Graf was born in Dornbirn and grew up there with her two siblings. She studied classical music, but did not complete the course...
, singer - Ulrich Ilg, politician, former Governor of Vorarlberg
- Yvonne MeusburgerYvonne MeusburgerYvonne Meusburger is a tennis player from Austria. She is currently the country's third highest ranked female player. Her career high ranking is No. 60, a ranking she achieved on 19 November 2007.-Tennis career:...
, WTA tennis player - Tamira PaszekTamira PaszekTamira Shelah Paszek is a professional tennis player from Austria. As of July 4, 2011, she is the no.1 ranked tennis player from Austria in the WTA ranking, at No. 41....
, WTA tennis player - August Paterno, Priest, pastoral counselor
Notable architecture
The MessestadionMessestadion
Messestadion is an indoor sporting arena located in Dornbirn, Austria. The capacity of the arena is 4,270 people and was built in 2002. It is currently home to the Dornbirner EC ice hockey team- External links :*...
is an indoor sporting arena located in Dornbirn, and home to the local ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team.
Economy
In Dornbirn Vorarlberg's regional studioORF regional studios
The ORF regional studios are branch offices from ORF in each state of Austria. Since 1975 there is also a regional office in Bolzano for the German-speaking population of South Tyrol, Italy....
of the ORF
ORF (broadcaster)
Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...
(Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) is located.
Zumtobel Lighting Group
Zumtobel Lighting Group
Zumtobel Group is a company based in Dornbirn, Austria which comprises two sub-groups: Zumtobel Lighting Group, which includes the lighting brands "Zumtobel" and "Thorn"; and Tridonic, which manufactures lighting components...
is an ATX traded
Austrian Traded Index
The Austrian Traded Index is the most important stock market index of the Wiener Börse and the largest trading place in the Austrian economy...
company based in Dornbirn.
Many other large companies are situated there. The city was formerly a major center of the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, which has been in decline since the 1980s.
Transportation
Located in the center of the Rhine valley, Dornbirn is an important junction of regional and interregional busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines, connecting Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
to the north, Feldkirch
Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
- Schools :* Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch * Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Feldkirch* Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Schillerstrasse...
to the south, and the Bregenzerwald
Bregenzerwald
Bregenzerwald is one of the main regions in the state of Vorarlberg, Austria. Geologically, the Bregenzerwald is a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, specifically the northern flysch zone. It is the drainage basin of the Bregenzer Ach river....
to the east. The A14 Rheintal freeway/motorway (Autobahn) passes by to the west. The Achrain tunnel, opened in 2009, directly connects Dornbirn/Haselstauden with the Bregenzerwald - Alberschwende. The city has an excellent network of city buses.
Dornbirn's railway
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
station connects is an important stop for all trains from west to east Austria.
A small airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
is located at nearby Hohenems
Hohenems
Hohenems is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 15,200 it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg...
.
Education
Educational institutions in Dornbirn include the FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences is the only institution providing tertiary education in Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. It is located in Dornbirn...
, two General Education Secondary Schools, and a Higher Technical Vocational College (Höhere Technische Lehranstalt
Höhere Technische Lehranstalt
Höhere Technische Lehranstalten , also called Höhere Technische Bundeslehranstalten or Höhere Technische Bundeslehr- und Versuchsanstalten are technology and crafts orientated higher colleges in Austria...
).
Sports
One of the most important sportive institutions in Dornbirn is the RHC Dornbirn, one of the most powerful Austrian Rink Hockey teams. In 2010 it will be the host city of 2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship
The 2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship or 2010 CIRH B-World Cup was the 14th edition of the Rink Hockey B World Championship, helded from 23 to 30 October, in Dornbirn, Austria. This was an Official competition organized by CIRH....
.
Baseball & Softball Club Dornbirn was founded in 1990, and has won the Austrian title twice. BSC Dornbirn consists of one youth team, two men's teams, and two women's teams. www.indians.at for more information.
External links
- City of Dornbirn
- Dornbirn.com
- College of Applied Sciences
- Natural History Museum (Inatura)
- Rolls Royce Museum
- Roller Hockey Dornbirn Club
- Tiscover Dornbirn
- Spielboden Cultural Events
- Worldgymnaestrada
- PhotoGlobe - Dornbirn offers high quality photos together with GPS coordinates