My Visual Travel Experience: Bregenz, Austria

In the summer of 2018, my wife Kamalini, my 3 year old son Rehaan, and I spent a couple of weeks in Switzerland. We also visited Liechtenstein, and then crossed the border into Austria and visited the town of Bregenz. During my 4 years in Austria from 1985 to 1989, I never managed a trip to Bregenz, but I'm glad we made the effort and went there during this trip of ours, because it was a very memorable visit to a charming little town. We stayed at a place called Sunny Pension, right in the heart of Bregenz's pedestrian district on Kaiser Strasse. It was a pleasant enough hotel, and we liked our stay there, except for the shared bathrooms (they were clean, but they were shared nevertheless)!

Bregenz is the capital of the Austrian province of Vorarlberg, which is the country’s western most province. The town has a population of close to 30,000 and lies along the Bodensee (also called Lake Constance), a large lake that lies between Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The town lies on the foothills of Pfander Mountain.

The first settlement in the region was around 1500 BC. In the 5th century BC, the Celts settled here. The Romans conquered the area in 15 BC and the town became a Roman camp. In 260 AD, the town was destroyed by the Germans. From 917 AD onwards, the Counts of Bregenz were in power, all the way until 1150. In the 16th century AD, the Habsburgs took control and the town came under Austrian rule. Briefly, from 1805 to 1814, Bregenz was under Bavarian control. It then went back to Austria and has continued as the capital of Vorarlberg.

Pfarrkirche St Gallus is one of the town's most important churches. There was a church at this spot in the 5th century AD. It went through several rounds of reconstruction over the centuries, but the present church was built 1737. It is a baroque church with a rich interior.

Pfarrkirche St Gallus

Nave, Pfarrkirche St Gallus

Baptism Altar, Pfarrkirche St Gallus

Martinsturm was built as a granary in 1601.  It has a distinctive onion shaped tower. From the top, there are good views of the town. The chapel inside is said to have served the Counts of Bregenz.

Martinsturm

Interior of Chapel, Martinsturm

Pfarrkirche Hertz Jesu, or the Sacred Heart Parish Church, was built in 1908, largely through donations from citizens. The brick church has two towers, each one measuring 62 meters in height.

Pfarrkirche Hertz Jesu

High Altar, Pfarrkirche Hertz Jesu

Seekapelle is a chapel near the Rathaus and lies off Kornplatz, one of the town’s main squares. The chapel dates back to 1663.

Seekapelle

Interior, Seekapelle

The Johannes Nepomuk Kapelle, or the Chapel of St John Nepomuk, was built in 1757. The circular shaped, small chapel has a baroque interior.  

Johannes Nepomuk Kapelle

High Altar, Johannes Nepomuk Kapelle

Bodensee lies between Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The lake has a surface area of 536 sq km. Its maximum length and width are 63 km and 14 km respectively.

Boats, Bodensee

Ferry, Bodensee

Bregenzer Festspiele was founded in 1946. It has a floating stage with 7,000 seats and there are operas and other musical performances that take place with the backdrop of the Bodensee.

Bregenzer Festspiele

The Post Office was built in 1895, near the Bodensee. The building is very grand and palatial in its construction, and was built along the lines of the Post Office in Bad Ischl.

Post Office

The Pfander Bahn opened in 1927. The cable car connects Bregenz to the Pfander Mountain at a height of 1022 meters above sea level.  In 1994, the cable car system was extensively renovated. At the top, there is a popular restaurant, an Alpine zoo (with animals like mountain goats and wild boars), and rides for children. There are great views from the summit of Bodensee, Bregenz and the surrounding mountains.

Pfander Bahn

View of Bregenz and Bodensee from Pfander

Mountain Goat at the Alpine Zoo at Pfander

In Bregenz, one is spoiled for choice when it comes to restaurants and cafes. There are many eateries near Bodensee (Pier 69 is a well known eatery along the Bodensee) and in the pedestrian area (Ristorante Isola Bella and Ristorante Pizzeria Da Guiseppe are popular Italian restaurants in the pedestrian district; Der Backer Ruetz is a popular cafe on Kaiser Strasse). There is also a very good restaurant on the Pfander Mountain, from where one can enjoy fabulous views while eating. One can enjoy Austrian specialities like Wiener Schnitzel and Apple Strudel.

Wiener Schnitzel at the Restaurant on Pfander

Apple Strudel and Cappuccino at Der Backer Ruetz

We just had a day in Bregenz, but it is a fairly small and compact town and we managed to cover it quite extensively. The highlights were the stunning Bodensee, the spectacular views from the Pfander, the pretty churches, and the delicious Austrian cuisines that we got to taste. Most visitors to Austria end up going to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck, but the beautiful country has a lot of lesser visited hidden gems like Bregenz!