Oostenrijk - Austria - Österreich

The Bielerhöhe Pass (also known as Silvretta Pass) has an elevation of 2.032 m. The pass lies just north of the Silvretta Lake (an artificial lake). The famous Silvretta High Alpine Road (a toll road) connects the valleys of Montafon in Vorarlberg with the Paznaun Valley in Tyrol (PiP 1). The part from Partenen to the pass has 34 bends (PiP 2). During winter (PiP 3) the pass is closed for normal traffic, but still can be reached from Partenen by a cableway and a ‘tunnelbus’. The Bielerhöhe is on the watershed between Rhine and Danube.

The Fuschlsee (Lake Fuschl) is a lake in the Salzkammergut, not far away from Salzburg. The lake has an area of 2.7 km², a maximum depth of 66 meters, a maximum length of 4.1 km and a maximum width of 0.9 km. Lake Fuschl lies at an altitude of 664 meters above sea level. It is owned by the Forest Commission of Austria. The lake get its water from de Ellmaubach and Hallbach. It flows via the Fuschler Ache into the Mondsee and via Attersee, Ager and Traun into the Danube. The lake has excellent water quality (it is the clearest and cleanest of the lakes of Salzkammergut; in fact it has drinking water quality) and exceptionally well preserved underwater vegetation in its natural state.

This was my first picture of Innsbruck after arriving by bus from Igls in the Old Town Area. Took the picture from the Marktplatz . Was there at the right moment in the morning, having the sun in my back and the beautiful light on the houses. The colourful row of houses in the Mariahilf area lies directly on the river Inn. They are typical for Innsbruck. The impressive Nordkette (North Chain) in the Karwendel range enthroned behind it with the beautiful houses must be a classic one among the city motifs. The buildings near the river Inn developed since the 12/13th century and preserve a true treasure of original Gothic spaces, even if some houses were largely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries or their facades were renovated in the Baroque style. The relatively strong, varied colouring of the individual houses dates back to the 1950s.

The Bärgunt-Hütte is an more than hundred years old alpine mountain cabin in the Bärgunt valley. It lies in a wonderful alpine landscape, directly at the foot of the mountain Grosser Widderstein in the Austrian Alps. The Bärgunt-Hütte - the oldest and largest alp in the Kleinwalsertal - is affiliated with an alpine cattle range with appx. 200 cows. Nowadays also a popular destination for hikers - in summer (PiP1) as well as in winter - who can enjoy the surrounding mountain scene from Grosser Widderstein to Walmendingerhorn (PiP2) on the sunny terrace of the mountain hut. The hut can be reached from the car park (1.220 m.) at the end of the dead-end-road through the Kleinwalsertal in Baad. The 2,5 km walking path follows the Bärgunt valley (PiP3) to the Bärgunt-Hütte at an altitude of 1.408 m.

The history of Hl. Mutter Anna (St. Anna parish church) dates back to around 1570, when in Hirschegg a chapel is mentioned, which was then changed and rebuilt several times. The first time the place name was mentioned in the annual diary 1499, where it is recorded in a document: “... located on the hierßegg, dz. picture dar”. As "image" is a shrine or a small chapel to understand. In 1745 Hirschegg was raised to the chaplaincy. The maternal priest Mittelberg originally filed vehement opposition. Ultimately, the bishop of Constance decided that the pastor has to recognize the appointment of a curate. In 1767 the chapel received a new tower. In 1782 the Hirschegger asked for release from the parish of Mittelberg; ten years later the elevation to an independent parish took place. In 1804, the foundation stone was laid for rebuilding the church. In 1806, the present church was inaugurated by the Bishop of Constance.

The Bruder Klaus-Kapelle (Brother Klaus chapel) is located in Hirschegg. This idyllic chapel, a wooden building with shingle roofing and bell roof rider, greets from a hill in the hamlet of Wäldele in Hirschegg. The author of the plan and the authoritative operator of the chapel building was the local pastor Bachmann. In 1950, at the feast of St. Stephen, the small mountain church was inaugurated, in honor of the Swiss national saint "Nikolaus von der Flüe". The altarpiece represents the patron saint.

In the past Kleinwalsertal had twelve covered bridges, but nowadays there are just three left of these monuments of carpentry. The Höfler bridge - near Mittelberg - is one of them and with a length of 33 meters the longest. The main reason for the roof of the bridges was certainly to protect the stringers from the weather. Originally the Höfler bridge is dating back to 1891, but fell victim to a devastating avalanche in 1907. The bridge was erected for a second time in spring of that year. In the valley of the river Breitach (PiP3) there were in the 1950’s eleven covered bridges. Wooden bridges with their shingle roofs were often torn away by avalanche or flood disasters. So also the Höflerbrücke, which was washed away by the Breitach in August 2005. Unlike others - replaced by more modern structures - it was replaced by a new wooden covered bridge.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps and located just west of the Kleinwalsertal. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany (Bavaria). Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). Although not that high Hoher Ifen is a prominent landmark of this part of Austria and can be seen from everywhere in Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area. Main picture was taken from the Schäfalp ski slope and the PiP’s from a footpath from Söllereck to Riezlern in Kleinwalsertal.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany. Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). This Dolomite-like rock formation with its steep walls is the natural landmark of the Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area.