Scenic Views - Au, Vorarlberg, Austria

Wooden chalets, snowy meadows and steep mountain slopes fill this view over Au, a village in the Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest) of Vorarlberg, in western Austria, where the peaks of the Alps rise on every side.

Au sits about 2,600 feet (800 m) above sea level on the Bregenzer Ach, the region's largest river, which splits the village into a shady side and a sunny side. About 1,700 people live here, and tourism is now its main business.

In 1651, local builder Michael Beer founded the Au guild, a group of builders, carpenters and sculptors from families like the Beers, Moosbruggers and Thumbs, who went on to build many of the baroque churches of southern Germany and Switzerland.

Did You Know? The name Au likely comes from an Old High German word for a river meadow or floodplain.

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