Mellau

Mellau

Coat of arms
Mellau
Location within Austria
Location in the district

Coordinates: 47°21′04″N 09°52′55″E / 47.35111°N 9.88194°E / 47.35111; 9.88194Coordinates: 47°21′04″N 09°52′55″E / 47.35111°N 9.88194°E / 47.35111; 9.88194
Country Austria
State Vorarlberg
District Bregenz
Government
 • Mayor Tobias Bischofberger
Area
 • Total 40.55 km2 (15.66 sq mi)
Elevation 688 m (2,257 ft)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
 • Total 1,300
 • Density 32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 6881
Area code 05518
Vehicle registration B
Website www.mellau.at

Mellau is a town in the Bregenz Forest in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, part of the district of Bregenz.

Geography

Mellau covers an area of 40.55 km². It lies in the west of the country and is part of the Bregenz Forest. Mellau lies at the foot of the Kanisfluh mountain which is considered to be Bregenz Forest's landmark.

History

From 1805 to 1814 Mellau belonged to Bavaria but then again to Austria. After the Second World War the municipality was in the French zone of occupation for 10 years. In 1870 there was a great fire in Mellau. The church, the school, the rectory and 18 other houses were razed.

Population

The municipality has about 1300 inhabitants.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1869650—    
1880627−3.5%
1890583−7.0%
1900616+5.7%
1910620+0.6%
1923645+4.0%
1934749+16.1%
1939704−6.0%
1951871+23.7%
1961922+5.9%
19711,058+14.8%
19811,088+2.8%
19911,171+7.6%
20011,282+9.5%
20111,308+2.0%

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was designed by Hubert Dietrich, a well-known artist, in 1962. It shows an uprooted fir tree which symbolises the affiliation to the Bregenz Forest and three crosses which remind the population of the plague.

Tourism

Thanks to the merging of the two ski areas of Damüls and Mellau in 2010, the largest ski area in the Bregenz Forest and one of the largest ski regions in the state of Vorarlberg was created: Ski area Damüls-Mellau.

In the summer and autumn of 2015, the Mellaubahn was rebuilt as a replacement for the old cable car from 1972 in the form of a monocable on the same route. After investing around 20 million euros, the new 10-passenger gondola lift was put into operation on 4 December 2015.

Bregenzerwald Umgang

Mellau is part of the "Bregenzerwald Umgang" (literally: "Bregenz forest walk"). The walk shows the design of 12 villages in the Bregenz Forest. By means of the landscape, public buildings, houses and everyday objects, walkers are invited to experience the typical Bregenzerwälder architecture style through the ages.

Trivia

Mellau
Panoramic view of the ski area Mellau-Damüls

In Austria, Mellau is known for the song "Vo Mello bis ge Schoppornou" (Alemannic for "From Mellau to Schoppernau") from the Bregenzerwälder band Holstuonarmusigbigbandclub.[2]

See also

Notable people

  • Norbert Bischofberger (born 1954), scientist, developer of influenza therapeutics Tamiflu
  • Hubert Dietrich (1930-2006), painter and painting restorer
  • Hermann Rützler (1883-1960), photographer and author

References

  1. ↑ Statistik Austria - Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2002-2016 nach Gemeinden (Gebietsstand 1.1.2016) for Mellau.
  2. ↑ holstuonarmusigbigbandclub. "Vo Mello bis ge Schoppornou". holstuonarmusigbigbandclub (in German). Retrieved 2018-08-21.
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