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

Mellau
Coat of arms of Mellau
Location in the district
Location in the district
Mellau is located in Austria
Mellau
Mellau
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 47°21′04″N 09°52′55″E / 47.35111°N 9.88194°E / 47.35111; 9.88194
CountryAustria
StateVorarlberg
DistrictBregenz
Government
 • MayorTobias Bischofberger
Area
 • Total40.55 km2 (15.66 sq mi)
Elevation
688 m (2,257 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total1,301
 • Density32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
6881
Area code05518
Vehicle registrationB
Websitewww.mellau.at

Geography

edit

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

History

edit

From 1805 to 1814 Mellau belonged to Bavaria but then reverted to Austria. In 1870 there was a great fire in Mellau: The church, the school, the rectory and 18 other houses were razed. After the Second World War, from 1945 to 1955 the town was in the French zone of occupation.

Population

edit

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

edit

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

Tourism

edit

Thanks to the merging of the two ski areas 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: The ski resort area Damüls-Mellau.

In the summer and autumn of 2015, the Mellau cable car was rebuilt in the form of a monocable.

Bregenzerwald Umgang

This "Bregenz Forest Walking Tour" offers insights into the architecture and community planning of 12 traditional villages in the Bregenzerwald. While walking over various landscapes, visiting public buildings, homes and everyday objects, walkers gain a comprehensive overview of typical Bregenzerwald architectural styles as they developed throughout the ages.

Trivia

edit
 
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") by the Bregenz Forest band Holstuonarmusigbigbandclub.[3]

See also

edit

Notable people

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ holstuonarmusigbigbandclub. "Vo Mello bis ge Schoppornou". holstuonarmusigbigbandclub (in German). Retrieved 2018-08-21.
edit