Feldkirch is a medieval city in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg on the border with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is the administrative center of the district Feldkirch. After Dornbirn, it is the second largest town in Vorarlberg in terms of population, with slightly more inhabitants than the state capital Bregenz. The westernmost point in Austria lies in Feldkirch on the river Rhine, at the northern tripoint border of Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
Area Size: 34,35 km² Population: Estimate 33,420.
Currency
Culture and landmarks
Feldkirch downtown
Feldkirch has one of the best preserved medieval cityscapes of Vorarlberg. The city was built around 1200 at the same time as the Schattenburg and has a geometric grid system. Since around 1500, when the city wall was rebuilt, the city remained unchanged over the centuries. Since 2015, the Feldkirch Ensemble has been listed in the Austrian List of Cultural Heritage (cultural property protected by the Hague Convention). The city is also a member of the Association of small historic towns, a tourism marketing association.
City fortification
The streets of the Schlossgraben, Hirschgraben and St. Leonhardsplatz marked the former course of the city wall surrounding the Neustadt area in the 13th century. The wall was largely rebuilt around 1500 and since 1826 in many places abraded. As long as Feldkirch was surrounded by a city wall and a city moat, one could enter the city only through one of the four gates. These city gates were called Bregenzertor or Nikolaustor, Bludenzertor or Schultor, Milltor or Sautor, and Churertor or Salztor. The last two gates are still standing, the other two were removed together with the city wall at the beginning of the 19th century.
Transport
Feldkirch has had its own local bus network since 1993, which currently consists of 8 lines including buses to the north of neighbouring Liechtenstein. The bus system works together with Vorarlberg’s bus system which provides several supra-regional lines starting and ending in Feldkirch. There’s an additional line called “nightline” which connects different bars and discos all around Feldkirch. The nightline plies until around 4 a.m. on weekends. Feldkirch railway station lies on the main railway line through the Vorarlberg.
Villas and other residential buildings
In the 19th century the Feldkirch bourgeoisie built a number of prestigious residential buildings, most of which are still privately owned. The villas were built mostly on the Reichsstraße and here mainly in the area between the Bärenkreuzung and the train station.