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Vorarlberg
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Vorarlberg
Vorarlbergfōr′ärl'bĕrkh, province (1991 pop. 331,472), 1,004 sq mi (2,600 sq km), extreme W Austria, bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany. Bregenz, on the eastern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), is the capital. It is a transportation hub, with Austria's most extensive road and rail connections to foreign countries. The province is a cattle-raising and dairy-farming region noted for its Alpine scenery. Among Austrian provinces, it ranks second only to Vienna in industrial wealth. Hydroelectric works dot the Bregenzer Ache and Ill rivers, and textile mills are found in almost every town. There are also important manufactures in watches, clocks, metal products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Beautiful embroidery and lace are produced by artisans. Vorarlberg has numerous popular winter sports resorts; tourism is increasingly important to the region's economy. The province is bounded on the west by the Rhine River. Vorarlberg was part of the Roman province of Rhaetia and was acquired by the powerful counts of Montfort in the Middle Ages. The Hapsburgs gained possession of it piecemeal in the 14th, 15th, and 16th cent., and in 1523 it became a crownland, administered by the Tyrol. The region became an independent Austrian province in 1918. Culturally related to the Swiss, the inhabitants of Vorarlberg voted for unification with Switzerland after World War I. The attempt failed because of Allied and Swiss opposition.

The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia search results for: Vorarlberg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vorarlberg is the westernmost and wealthiest state of Austria. Though it is the second smallest in terms of area it borders three countries: Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The only Austrian federal state that shares a border with Vorarlberg is Tyrol to the east. The capital of Vorarlberg is Bregenz, although Dornbirn and Feldkirch are larger cities in terms of population. Vorarlberg is also distinct in that it is the only province in Austria that does not speak an Austro-Bavarian dialect; it shares much in common with its neighbors in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Swabia. The main rivers in Vorarlberg are the Ill, the Rhine, the Bregenzer Ach...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Vorarlberg
Results 1 - 5  of 5
  • Bregenz

    Bregenz, city (1991 pop. 26,775), capital of Vorarlberg province, extreme W Austria, on Lake Constance (Bodensee). It is a lake port with winter and summer sports facilities and is the site of...

  • Arlberg

    Arlberg, pass, 5,946 ft (1,812 m) high, W Austria, on the boundary between Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The Arlberg region forms the water divide between rivers flowing to the North Sea and those flo...

  • Lech

    Lech, river, c.175 mi (280 km) long, rising in Vorarlberg, W Austria, and flowing NE into S Germany past Augsburg to the Danube River. The Wertach River is its chief tributary. There are about...

  • Pressburg, Treaty of

    Pressburg, Treaty of, 1805, peace treaty between Napoleon I of France and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (also emperor of Austria), signed at Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia). Defeated at A...

  • Austria

    Austria, Ger. Österreich [eastern march], officially Republic of Austria, federal republic (2005 est. pop. 8,185,000), 32,374 sq mi (83,849 sq km), central Europe. It is bounded by Slovenia an...

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