Arlberg
| Arlberg Pass | |
|---|---|
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View over the Arlberg and the pass road in winter | |
| Elevation | 1,793 m (5,883 ft) |
| Traversed by | Federal Highway B 197 |
| Location | Austria |
| Range | Alps |
| Coordinates | 47°07′48″N 10°12′40″E / 47.130°N 10.211°ECoordinates: 47°07′48″N 10°12′40″E / 47.130°N 10.211°E |
  Arlberg Pass Location of Arlberg Pass | |
Arlberg is a mountain range or massif between Vorarlberg and Tyrol in Austria.
The highest peak is the "Valluga" at 2,811 metres (9,222 ft). The name Arlberg derives from the tradition of the "Arlenburg", who are said to have once established themselves on the Tyrolean side of the Arlberg passes (1,793 m above sea level). Another story derives the name from the "Arlenbushes" that are very numerous here. There is no mountain with the name "Arlberg" proper. Popular places and famous ski resorts at the Arlberg are Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph and St. Anton.
The name of the state of Vorarlberg is derived from the mountain Arlberg, which is located in front of the Arlberg, from the point of view of the Holy Roman Empire as well as the Swiss Confederation and the castle of the Habsburgs.
Geography
The Arlberg connects the Klostertal valley in the west with the Stanzer valley in the east. Together with the Flexenpass, the Arlberg forms the border between the mountain groups: Verwall in the south, Lechquellen mountains in the north-west and the Lechtal Alps in the north and north-east. The Valluga, the highest mountain on the Arlberg and the Trittkopf south-west of the Lechtal Alps, dominates the pass. The borders of the four Arlberg communities also meet here. On the Vorarlberg site Lech and Klösterle / Stuben as well as on the Tyrol side Kaisers and St. Anton.
The European watershed in the Alps between the Rhine and the Danube runs southwards from the Albonagrat to the Passhöhe over the Valluga and Trittkopf to the Flexenpass and follows from Flexenspitz the southern end of the Lechquellen mountains to the Klostertal towards the west.
Pass roads and the Arlberg tunnel
The old pass route was known since the 14th century in the form of a narrow mule track when people began to trade salt in this region. However, because the Arlberg was very poorly developed, for centuries people avoided the route and took detours over the Fern Pass or Immenstadt for trading. The development of the textile industry and of the postal service, however, led to the roads being surfaced in 1824.
With the rise of motor traffic in the 20th century, however, this became inadequate. It was decided that a 14 kilometres (9 miles) long Arlberg Road Tunnel would be built between Langen and St. Anton. On July 5, 1974 the work began and the passage was opened to traffic on December 1, 1978. The tunnel has a toll; however, the old road over the pass is toll-free. A peculiarity of the tunnel is that it actually consists of two tunnels. On the Tyrolian side it is built over the "Rosanna Gorge" before the actual massif rises up in the direction of Vorarlberg over the tunnel.
Arlberg Railway
The Arlberg railway connects Innsbruck with Bludenz. Between St. Anton and Langen it runs through the 10.25 kilometres (6.37 miles) long Arlbergtunnel.
Tourism
Tourism is the main source of income for Arlberg villages and their inhabitants and plays a vital role in the region.[1]
Today, "Arlberg" is a brand for the winter sports areas around the Arlberg Pass, in particular the ski areas of Lech, Zürs, Stuben, Klösterle and St. Christoph, St. Anton am Arlberg.
The area is known for its long winter sports tradition. As early as 1901, the Arlberg ski club was founded and two years later a first club competition was held. In 1904 the first general Arlberg race took place, 1928 the first of the famous Arlberg Kandahar races. In 1921, under the leadership of Hannes Schneider, the ski school Arlberg was the first ski school in the region.[2]
In 1937 the first lifts were built in St. Anton and in Zürs. It was the first ski-lift built by Konrad Doppelmayr and Sepp Bildstein. With the 2001 Ski World Cup in St. Anton, alpine ski racing came back to the Arlberg and thus to its roots.
Today, the contiguous ski resorts on three mountains around Lech and Zürs (The White Ring), the Arena on Gampen, Kapall, Galzig and Valluga above St. Anton and St. Christoph, form a ski resort with 87 lifts, 305 km of groomed slopes and 200 km of deep snow slopes.[2] Thanks to the many winter sports enthusiasts, tourism at the Arlberg is of great importance. Between 1 November 2001 and 31 October 2002, more than one million overnight stays were counted for the first time.
See also
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References
- ↑ "Arlberg-Skigebiete: "Wir haben Tourismus, sonst nix"". Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- 1 2 www.stantonamarlberg.com, Rubrik „Presse“ (2009). "History of St. Anton am Arlberg" (PDF).