Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, 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 the second-highest popu ...

. It is the administrative centre for the district of

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 ...

, which also includes the town of

Hohenems Hohenems (High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Ems'') is a town in the Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg in the Dornbirn (district), Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a populat ...

, and the market town

Lustenau Lustenau (; ) is a town in the westernmost Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg in the district of Dornbirn (district), Dornbirn. It lies on the river Rhine, which forms the border with Switzerland. Lustenau is Vorarlberg's fourth larg ...

. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlberg and the tenth largest city in Austria. It is an important commercial and shopping centre.

Geography

Location

Dornbirn is located at 437 metres

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

in the

Alpine Rhine Valley The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...

, at the foot of the Karren mountain, part of the Bregenz Forest Mountain chain at the edge of the

Eastern Alps The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Main chain of the Alps, Alpine divide, and down the Liro (Como), Liro River to Lake Como in the south. ...

. It is near the borders to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

. The

Dornbirner Ach The Dornbirner Ach (also called ''Dornbirner Ache'') is a long stream in Vorarlberg, Austria, and a tributary of Lake Constance () and the Rhine, respectively. It flows through two gorges in its upper part, the Alploch Gorge and the Rappenloch G ...

river flows through the town and later into

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

Municipal structure

Dornbirn once consisted only of four "quarters" or precincts: Markt, Hatlerdorf, Oberdorf and

Haselstauden Haselstauden (also known as ''Hazeltown'') has been the fourth district of Dornbirn, Austria since 1902, when Dornbirn was given the status of municipality. It's also the city's northernmost district. Geography In the west, Haselstauden border ...

. By the 20th century, two new precincts to the west were formed: Rohrbach (formerly a part of Markt) and Schoren (formerly a part of Hatlerdorf), thus bringing the total number of precincts to six.

Neighbouring municipalities

The town of Dornbirn itself constitutes almost 70% of the surface of the district Dornbirn and borders on numerous other municipalities: Hohenems and Lustenau, 15 municipalities of the

Bregenz District The Bezirk Bregenz is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Vorarlberg, Austria. It comprises the Bregenz Forest region, the Leiblach valley, and the Austrian part of Lake Constance. The area of the district is 863.37 km2, its populati ...

: ( Lauterach,

Wolfurt Wolfurt is a municipality in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Population Transport Wolfurt railway station is an intermediate stop on the Vorarlberg railway line () traversing Vorarlberg in a north-south direction. This railway stat ...

, Schwarzach,

Bildstein Bildstein is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, al ...

Alberschwende Alberschwende is a municipality and a village in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Population Notable people * Hermann Gmeiner, Austrian philanthropist, founder of SOS Children's Villages SOS Children's Village ...

, Schwarzenberg, Reuthe,

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 t ...

Damüls Damüls () is a village community and popular tourist resort in the district of Bregenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Damüls is known for its abundance of snow. In 2006, Damüls was awarded the honorary title "the snowiest ...

), and four of the

Feldkirch District The Bezirk Feldkirch is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Vorarlberg, Austria. Area of the district is 278.26 km2, population is 100,656 (2012), and population density 362 persons per km2. Administrative center of the district is Fe ...

: (

Laterns Laterns is a municipality in the district of Feldkirch in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, al ...

, Zwischenwasser, Viktorsberg, Fraxern). Dornbirn asv2022-10 img07 Karren-Seilbahn Blick von der Bergstation

History

The earliest evidence of human presence in the Dornbirn area dates from the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

era. The name "Dornbirn" derives from 'torrin puirron', meaning the 'Settlement of Torro' (the name of an Alemannic farmer living there), and thus has nothing to do with "pears" (German "Birnen"), although this fruit is prominently portrayed on the town emblem. 'Torrin puirron' is mentioned for the first time in 895, in a document from St. Gallen (

). Dornbirn became part of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

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.

Historic marginalia

1881: the first telephone service in the K&K empire was inaugurated by Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

on August 10, 1881.

Population

Politics

Municipal Council

The Dornbirn Municipal Council has 36 seats and the following party mandates: * 17

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

(ÖVP) * 7

The Greens – The Green Alternative The Greens – The Green Alternative (, ) is a green political party in Austria. The Greens currently sit in opposition. Formerly, they were part of the Schallenberg government, the Second Kurz government, and the Nehammer government. It won ...

(Die Grünen) * 5

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

(SPÖ) * 4

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five part ...

(FPÖ) * 3 NEOS - The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) The current mayor (since 2013) is Andrea Kaufmann (ÖVP). The current vice-mayor is Julian Fässler (ÖVP). The city council consists of 9 council members (including mayor and vice-mayor). and the following party mandates: * 5

(ÖVP) * 2

(Die Grünen) * 2

(SPÖ) * 1

(FPÖ)

International relations

Dornbirn has town partnerships with *

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( ) is a city with county rights in central Hungary. It is the List of cities and towns of Hungary, eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun County, Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the ca ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Sélestat Sélestat (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Schlettstàdt''; German: ''Schlettstadt'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Grand Est region of France. An administrative division (Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture) of the Bas-Rhin Depa ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Culture

Museums

The City Museum Dornbirn is Dornbirn's local museum, specialized in the city's history, early photography, traditional crafts, agriculture and the formerly flourishing textile industry. Inaturateich

Inatura is an interactive

natural history museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

. The museum includes a documentation center about nature in Vorarlberg, along with an interactive exhibition. The

Mohren Biererlebniswelt The Mohren Biererlebniswelt is a museum about the history of the Mohren brewery, the art of brewing and regional brewing customs and is located at the headquarters of the Mohren brewery in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg (Austria Austria, formally t ...

is a beer museum of Vorarlberg's oldest brewery

Mohrenbrauerei The Mohrenbrauerei Vertriebs KG is a brewery in Dornbirn in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is Vorarlberg's oldest brewery. With a total market share of 47.2 percent in the gastronomy and retail sectors, in 2013, the Mohrenbrauerei was the ...

. It shows traditional brewery equipment and gives insights in the history of beer brewing. Additionally, it hosts workshops on beer. The Rolls-Royce Museum is a privately-owned

automobile museum An automotive museum is a museum that explores the History of the automobile, history of automotive-related transportation. * Bold – museums owned by automotive manufacturers * ''Italics'' – no longer open to public access, excluding private ...

. It is said to have the world's largest collection of

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

cars. ART BODENSEE is an annual meeting point for artists, art collectors, and connoisseurs. Since 2001, it has included exhibits of works by international artists. The FLATZ Museum sees itself as a forum concerned with artistic impulses and contemporary cultural positions. It shows changing exhibitions designed by international guest curators, with a focus on photographic art; it organises readings, lecture series, discussions and performances.

Architecture

Dornbirn's

Messestadion Messestadion is an indoor sporting arena located in Dornbirn, Austria. The arena has a capacity of 4,270 people and was built in 1999. It is currently the home arena of Dornbirner EC who play in the Austrian Hockey League The ICE Hockey ...

is an indoor sporting arena, and home to the local

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team. An example of modern Vorarlberg architecture is the LifeCycle-Tower ONE (LCT ONE), an innovative architectural project concerned with environmental and energy efficiency. With its eight floors, it is the first modular wooden hybrid complex; it was built in 2012. Also the public library shows various architectural details, such as ceramic bricks reminding us of book shelves, or a path, which is reminiscent of the existing "beaten track" between Schulgasse and Jahngasse, and leads through the building allowing it to be experienced as a public space. The public swimming pool was renovated in 2005 and received various prices for its architecture.

Economy

Vorarlberg's regional studio of the

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the g ...

(Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) is located in Dornbirn.

Zumtobel Group The Zumtobel Group is an Austrian company specialising in lighting and headquartered in Dornbirn. Zumtobel engages in the development, production and sales of lighting, luminaires, lighting management and lighting components for indoor and outdo ...

is an ATX traded company, one of many firms based in Dornbirn. The town was formerly a major centre of the

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

, which suffered a serious decline beginning in the 1980s. The Mohrenbrauerei August Huber is Vorarlberg's oldest brewery and market leader in the gastronomy and retail sectors.

Transport

Located in the middle of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

valley, Dornbirn is an important junction of regional and interregional

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

lines, connecting

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

to the north, Feldkirch to the south, and the

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

to the east. The A14 ''Rheintal'' motorway (

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

) passes by to the west. The ''Achrain'' tunnel, opened in 2009, directly connects Dornbirn/Haselstauden with the Bregenz Forest - Alberschwende region. The town has a network of municipal buses. There are four railway stations in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Dornbirn: , , and , all situated on the Vorarlberg railway line of

ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...

. Dornbirn railway station is an important stop for trains between western and eastern Austria.

Hohenems-Dornbirn Airfield Hohenems-Dornbirn Airfield (, ) is a public aerodrome located southwest of Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, Austria. It is used for general aviation as well as air police and air rescue operations. See also * Transport in Austria * List of airports in Aus ...

, a small

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

, is located at nearby

Education

Educational institutions in Dornbirn include the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, two general education secondary schools, and a higher technical vocational college (''

Höhere Technische Lehranstalt A Höhere Technische Lehranstalt (German for ''Higher Technical Education Institute'', or more loosely translated ''Technical College''), commonly known as HTL, is an engineering-focused high school/institution of further education in Austria. As ...

''). The ''Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences'' (German:

Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...

Vorarlberg) was originally founded as a school for technology in 1989. It achieved the status of an officially recognized university in 1999. It currently offers bachelor's and master's degrees in the fields of Business, Engineering & Technology, Design, and Social Work.

Sports

Among the most important sports institutions in Dornbirn is the RHC Dornbirn, one of the most powerful Austrian

Rink Hockey Roller hockey (in British English), rink hockey (in American English) or ball roller hockey is a team sport played on roller skates. It is a quad-skate team sport where two teams face-off against one another, trying to drive a hard ball with t ...

teams. In 2010 it hosted the 2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship. The Baseball & Softball Club Dornbirn was founded in 1990, and has won the Austrian national title twice. BSC Dornbirn consists of one youth team, two men's teams, and two women's teams. Dornbirn hosted the

World Gymnaestrada The World Gymnaestrada is the largest general gymnastics exhibition. Much like the Olympics, the event is held every four years. However, the focus of this event is not on winning medals but instead Group Performances – some with hundreds or ...

event in 2007 and 2019.

The Mohrenbrauerei (Mohren brewery)

The

was founded in Dornbirn in 1834, which makes it the oldest operating brewery in

Notable people

* Joseph Anton Rhomberg (1786–1853) a German painter, illustrator and graphic artist. *

Francis Martin Drexel Francis Martin Drexel (April 7, 1792 – June 5, 1863) was an Austrian-American banker and artist. He was the father of Anthony Joseph Drexel, the founder of Drexel University, and present-day J.P. Morgan & Co, and the grandfather of Katharine ...

(1792–1863), Philadelphia banker and artist * Johann Georg Waibel, (DE Wiki) (1828–1908), Mayor of Dornbirn 1869–1908, member of the Austrian Reichsrat and Landtag * Joseph Bobleter (1846–1909) an American newspaper editor and politician. * Karl Aubert Salzmann (1876–1934), president of Federal Council (Austria), 1926/1927 * Wolfgang Blenk (1926–1996), politician (

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

) * Margret Dünser (1926–1980), journalist * Wolfgang Rümmele, (DE Wiki) (1946–2019), Mayor of Dornbirn 1999-2013 *

Elfi Graf Elfi Graf (born ''Elfriede Sepp''; 20 November 1952 in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg) 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. ...

(born 1952),

Schlager music Schlager (, " hit(s)") is a style of European popular music and radio format generally defined by catchy instrumental accompaniments to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, easygoing, and often sentimental lyrics. Schlager tracks are typ ...

singer * Eva Maria Waibel (born 1953) a high school teacher and former

ÖVP The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

politician * Tobias G. Natter (born 1961) an Austrian art historian * Aaron Pilsan (born 1995) an Austrian classical pianist. *

Günter Vetter Günter Vetter (4 July 1936 – 6 October 2022) was an Austrian stonemason and politician who served as the Vorarlberg for Trade, Road Construction, Building Construction, and Tourism from 1984 until 1989. A member of the Austrian People's Part ...

(1936–2022), Austrian politician, member of the Vorarlberg state council *

Reinold Geiger Reinold Geiger (born 10 July 1947) is an Austrian billionaire, and the chairman and executive director of French cosmetics retailer L'Occitane en Provence. On the 2023 ''Forbes ''list, he was the 9th richest Austrian with a net worth of US$ 1.4 ...

(born 1947), Austrian businessman

Sport

Karl Cordin Karl Cordin (born 3 November 1948) is an Austrian former alpine skier who did only compete in Downhill Races; he competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics, becoming 7th silver medal at FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 in downhill. Biography Cor ...

(born 1948), ski racer *

Ingrid Eberle Ingrid Eberle (born 3 June 1957 in Dornbirn) is a retired Austrian alpine skier who competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an internati ...

(born 1957), ski racer * Yvonne Meusburger Garamszegi (born 1983), WTA tennis player *

Eva Pinkelnig Eva Pinkelnig (born 27 May 1988) is an Austrian Ski jumping, ski jumper. Career She competed in the 2014–15 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, 2015 World Cup season. She represented Austria at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015 in Falun. Majo ...

(born 1988), ski jumper *

Tamira Paszek Tamira Shelah Paszek (born 6 December 1990) is an Austrian tennis player. On 11 February 2013, she reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 26. On 6 May 2013, she peaked at No. 93 in the doubles rankings. Paszek has won three single ...

(born 1990), WTA tennis player * Deniz Mujić (born 1990) an Austrian footballer of Bosnian descent with over 280 club caps

Twin towns – sister cities

Dornbirn is twinned with: *

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

, United States *

, Hungary *

, France

References

External links

*
Dornbirn

University of Applied Sciences
*See https://www.stampsoftheworld.co.uk/wiki/Dornbirn_(AT) for an history of DORNBIRN post and postmarks. {{Authority control Cities and towns in Dornbirn District Vorarlberg