Damüls is a village community and popular tourist resort in the district of

Bregenz Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...

in the westernmost

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n state of

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with th ...

. Damüls is known for its abundance of snow. In 2006, Damüls was awarded the honorary title "the snowiest village in the world".

Population

Geography

Damüls is situated at an altitude of 1,430 m. It has an area of 20.92 km². It borders on the

Bregenz Forest The Bregenz Forest (german: Bregenzerwald, ) is one of the main regions in the state of Vorarlberg (Austria). It overlaps, but is not coterminous with, the Bregenz Forest Mountains, which belong to a range of the Northern Limestone Alps, specific ...

, the Biosphere Reserve Großes Walsertal, the Laternsertal, and all other Vorarlberg districts (

Bludenz Bludenz (; Alemannic: ''Bludaz'') is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of the Vorarlberg's territory. Geography The town is located on the ...

Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to: Places * Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria ** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria * Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the munici ...

and

Dornbirn Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlb ...

). The most famous mountain peak in the area, a popular hiking destination from Damüls, is the

Damülser Mittagsspitze Damülser Mittagsspitze is a high mountain in the Bregenz Forest Mountains in the Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. ...

(2,095 m).

History

In the late Middle Ages, around 1300, the

Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser people are named a ...

ethnic folk group fled from the Swiss Kanton Wallis to this area seeking a better way of life and agricultural land. They were allowed to settle in Vorarlberg, in the west of

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

and in Graubünden. From 1313 onwards, Damüls was populated by Walsers. At the time, the Supreme Court (Damüls and Fontanella) was independent. The inhabitants of Damüls, in return, joined the Montfort House to serve with "spear and shield" in the event of war.

Culture

The Vorarlberger FIS Skimuseum Damüls offers exhibitions on the long history of skiing in Vorarlberg. In addition to historic and rare Alpine skis, ski jump-related objects are also on display. The entry is free. The Church of St. Nikolaus occupies a prominent place in the mountain village of Damüls. The art-historically valuable church with its preserved

frescoes Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster ...

depicting a Bible for the poor dates from the time of the arrival of the Walsers in the 13th/14th centuries.

Customs

In the region, many old traditions are still alive and well, including the typical dialect that is still spoken here. Wearing traditional folk costumes ("

tracht ''Tracht'' () refers to traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions. Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolian and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German- ...

") on festive occasions also contributes to an authentic yesteryear atmosphere. Alpine Transhumance, or mobile mountain meadow culture, is still practiced in Damüls. This means that farmers bring their cattle to wherever food is available in the mountains. Depending on the season, cattle will change stables several times a year. Alpine transhumance is also called "Dreistufenwirtschaft" (literally "three stage economy") in German because the mountain pastures are managed in three stages: lower, middle, and upper mountain altitudes. This transhumance is one of the prime factors preserving the natural and cultural landscape of the region, along with the strong tradition of cheese production in Vorarlberg. In 2011, the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

declared the "Dreistufenwirtschaft" in the

to be an intangible cultural heritage.

Tourism

Thanks to the merging of the two ski areas of Damüls and

Mellau Mellau is a town in the Bregenz Forest in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, part of the district of Bregenz. Geography Mellau covers an area of 40.55 km2. Mellau lies at the foot of the Kanisfluh mountain which is considered ...

in 2010, the largest ski area in the Bregenz Forest, and one of the largest ski regions in the state of Vorarlberg, was created: the ski area Damüls-Mellau. There is a 2.5 km long natural toboggan run which is illuminated two days a week. This resort region is known for its abundance of snow. In 2006, Damüls was awarded the title "Snowiest village in the world". On average, there is 9.30 meters of fresh snow per season. Numerous hiking trails lead from Damüls over alpine meadows and to summits with views over the surrounding mountain tops. The temperatures are pleasant even during hot periods in midsummer.

Photo gallery

File:St Nikolaus, Damüls 2019, Böhringer.jpg, Church St. Nikolaus in the winter File:Fresken Damüls Hl Nikolaus InnenPanorama.jpg, Frescoes in the Church St. Nikolaus File:FIS Skimuseum Damüls (c) Katrin Preuss - Vorarlberg Tourismus.jpg, Inside the FIS Skimuseum Damüls File:0108Damüls5.jpg, The ski area Damüls-Mellau File:SprüngeDamüls05.jpg, A snowboarder in the ski area Damüls-Mellau File:Hohe Wacht Skigebiet Mellau Damüls.jpg, View of the

and the ski area of Damüls-Mellau File:Damüls Pfarrkirche Ortszentrum Luftbild.jpg, The centrum of Damüls File:Damüls 03.JPG, Damüls in the summer time

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damuls Cities and towns in Bregenz District Bregenz Forest Mountains