The Klostertal, , is an alpine valley in Vorarlberg, in Austria. It branches off at

Bludenz Bludenz (; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ''Bludaz'') is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg with around 15,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of Vorarlberg's territ ...

and extends about to the east to the

Arlberg The Arlberg (, also: ''Arlberg Pass'') is a mountain pass between states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. Ski resorts at the Arlberg include Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph, St. Anton, Oberlech, Stubenbach, Zug, and Warth. It is the m ...

and the border with

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

. It consists of the three communities of Klösterle am Arlberg,

Dalaas Dalaas is a municipality in the district of Bludenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Population Mayor Since 2005 Christian Gantner (* 1980) is the mayor. Transport Dalaas is located along an expressway, the Arlberg Schnellstraße (S16), ...

and Innerbraz and the three Bludenz towns Bings, Radin and Außerbraz with an area of and about 4,700 inhabitants (as of 2017). The valley opens to the east of the district capital

and is characterized by the south and north steeply towering mountain ranges of the

Lechquellen Mountains The Lechquellen Mountains () or Lechquellen range is a small mountain group within the Northern Limestone Alps of the Eastern Alps. It lies entirely within the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and includes the upper reaches of the river Lech (ri ...

and the Verwalls mountain range. The Alfenz flows through the Klostertal from Stuben am Arlberg (district of Klösterle/Arlberg) to the

Ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...

at Bludenz. The bottom of the valley is rising steadily, which is reflected by the fact that the sea level of the settlement areas ranges between in the west and in the east.

History

The name Klostertal can be explained historically with the transfer of the chapel in St. Marienthal by Count Hugo I. von Montfort in 1218 to the Johanniterhaus in Feldkirch. In return for the foundation received, the Order of St. John had to give at least shelter, fire and water to the passing poor people. For this purpose, a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

was built, which was called Klösterle, just like the evolving town around the hospice. Later the whole valley was called Klostertal, which replaced the former name St. Marienthal. The shortest connection between Tyrol and Vorarlberg leads over the high Arlberg Pass. Over the centuries, this connection has been used by business, military and other travelers. The weather determined the length of this crossing and so along the route a number of utilities such as guest houses and accommodations were built. In 1884, the

Arlberg railway The Arlberg Railway (), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, after the Brenner ...

line opened, which runs through the valley between and the Arlberg Tunnel, continuing eastwards to

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

. The line was used, most prominently, by the

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...

, and is currently used by long-distance trains (e.g.

RailJet Railjet is a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (ČD). Branded as ''Railjet Express'' (RJX category) for the fastest services and as ''Railjet'' (RJ) for services with additional s ...

EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...

). is the only railway station between Bludenz and the Arlberg Tunnel that is served by passenger trains. All other stations (, , , , ) are now defunct.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Valleys of Vorarlberg Valleys of the Alps Vorarlberg