Bregenz - the lakeside city

If you want to visit Lake Constance, you should start your journey from the Austrian city of Bregenz.

Performance on the floating stage during the Bregenz Festival.

Thousand-year-old city

The southeastern shore of Lake Constance has been inhabited since 1500 BC. Bregenz was originally a Celtic city, but was later taken over by the Romans and Germans. Today, Bregenz is the capital of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Bregenz is easily reached by car or Eurolines train from major cities in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Bregenz's old town of Oberstadt still retains many beautiful medieval buildings, most notably the Martinsturm, the city's symbol. It was built in the 13th century as a refuge for local nobles during wartime. The first floor was later converted into a chapel, and the second floor became a mini-museum. Visitors come to see the Martinsturm's largest onion dome in Central Europe, and then climb to the top floor for a panoramic view of Bregenz.

Wandering the streets of Oberstadt, visitors will find many interesting things. One can mention Kirchstraße 29, which is recognized as the smallest house in Europe (only 57cm wide). Or the Old Town Hall (German name: Altes Rathaus) built in the 17th century in the "nostalgic" architectural style, bearing the mark of the countryside in western Austria. And certainly visitors cannot miss the old city wall surrounding the old town. Bregenz City Wall was built in the 13th century on the foundation of the old city wall from the Roman Empire. Many old houses use the city wall as their back wall, thereby creating a unique feature for the Bregenz landscape.

When it comes to museums in Bregenz, there are two destinations that tourists should not miss. The first is the Vorarlberg Museum. Here, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history, culture, and people of the westernmost state of Austria. The Vorarlberg Museum also owns an impressive collection of sculptures by Austrian and German artists. Second, if tourists want to learn more about contemporary Austrian art, please visit Galerie Lisi Hämmerle. This place is open free of charge to promote the works of painters, sculptors, photographers... from the early 20th century to the present. The Galerie also regularly organizes interactive and experimental art performances.

Enjoy the outdoors

The people of western Austria are known for their energy and love of nature. Visitors to Bregenz will certainly not lack for outdoor activities. One example is kayaking on Lake Constance. There is no better way to enjoy the magical beauty of Lake Constance than by renting a kayak and paddling yourself. Visitors can also try conquering the kayaking journey from Bregenz at dawn to Lindau Island on the lake for breakfast. Lindau Island in Germany has a history and landscape as interesting as Bregenz.

Whether it is winter or summer, visitors should visit the Pfänder mountain on the outskirts of Bregenz, which is famous for its rare beauty. Visitors should take the cable car to enjoy the full view of the Pfänder mountain and the city of Bregenz from above. Visitors can also spend more than 2 hours climbing to the top of the mountain. Pfänder mountain is part of the Alpen Pfänder Wildlife Park, home to many wild animals such as deer, mouflon sheep, marmots, wild boars...

If you’re staying in Bregenz for a longer period of time, you might want to try the Georunde Rindberg trek on the edge of the Bregenzerwald (over an hour by bus from Bregenz). The trek starts at the foot of the Rindberg mountain and ends at the village of the same name on the mountainside. In 1999, a landslide almost completely destroyed the village. Some houses collapsed into 10m-deep pits, while others were pushed up to 18m. The villagers and local artists then created the Georunde Rindberg trek as an open-air museum. They set up 18 art installations along the way from the foot of the mountain to the ruins, educating visitors about the power of Mother Nature and the memories of the people who lived in the village.

Every year in Bregenz there are no less than 5 large-scale outdoor performances. The most famous is the Bregenz festival, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors in July. During the festival, plays and chamber music concerts are held throughout the streets of Bregenz. The highlight of the festival is an opera performance on a floating stage on Lake Constance. This is the largest water stage in Europe with a capacity of about 7,000 spectators. Every 2 years the stage is rebuilt with a unique abstract art theme. Tourists should book more than a year in advance to ensure tickets to the evening opera performance at the Bregenz festival.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/bregenz-thanh-pho-ven-ho-686110.html