Аустрияның Монтафон аймағы

Valley in Vorarlberg, Austria

Montafon ( in local dialect: "Muntafu") is a 39 km long valley in the westernmost Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg. It is traversed by the river Ill (Vorarlberg) and extends from the city of Bludenz and the Verwall Alps in the north, to the Silvretta and Rätikon mountain range in the south. Piz Buin, at 3,312 meters, is the highest peak within the Silvretta mountain range and the highest peak in Vorarlberg. The Montafon region has a population of 16,421(2021).

The economy in the Montafon is dominated by a mixture of traditional rural activities like forestry, hydroelectric energy production, agricultural products, as well as tourism related services and products.

Farming and agriculture are part of traditional Alpine transhumance. This is a three phase seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer, ensuring a sufficient food supply for the cattle throughout the year. While tourism and other industries contribute more to the economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still an important economic factor for parts of the population. In the autumn, if no animals have died and there have not been any accidents up in the mountains, the farmers decorate the cattle and bring them down from the mountain pastures in a festive parade, a highlight of regional culture.

Tourism plays a vital role and the Montafon is well known for its skiing, hiking, and mountain biking. The Silvretta high alpine road (German: Hochalpenstraße) gives access to remote ski areas that are located altitudes of 650 to 1,430 meters. The construction of the Montafon Railway in 1905 also helped develop the seasonal tourist industries. There are five ski regions: Silvretta Montafon, Golm, Gargellen, Silbertal Kristberg and Silvretta Bielerhöhe, with a total of 60 ski lifts and 225 kilometers of ski slopes in the region. Freeriding is a popular sport and there are various fun parks with half pipes. For cross country skiing there are 121 kilometers of classic routes, as well as 33 kilometers of skating routes. Ski mountaineering has become more and more popular and can be pursued on every mountain in the Montafon. During the summers and autumns the vast hiking trails along all of the mountain ranges are very popular, among locals and tourists alike. There are even trails that can be accessed via pushchairs ("Muntafuner Gagla Weg“). Nine of the ski lifts are also open during the summer and autumn seasons and allow for quick and convenient ascents or descents in the mountains. All hiking and biking trails are well marked. Many areas are protected and biking is not always allowed. 26 alpine huts are open during the summer, and special buses for hikers operate in the area. Mountain hiking and climbing are possible on a great variety of trails, with a broad range of difficulties. For beginners, there are eight climbing parks and 15 fixed rope routes. There are also two 9 hole golf courses in Tschagguns and in Partenen.

Montafoner Resonanzen is a music festival consisting of a series of events in the Montafon region. It is held annually on weekends in August and September. Each weekend is dedicated to another genre (classical, jazz, Austrian folk musik, organ, cross over). The locations vary each year. Guests may combine hiking and eating out with the concerts, considering the musical performances are held at extraordinary locations like the Tübinger Hütte at 2,191 m (Gaschurn) or the Panoramagasthof Kristberg.

In the 2012/13 season, the first SBX World Cup Montafon was held as part of the FIS Snowboard World Cup. The World Cup takes place annually in December, with races carried out in the Silvretta Montafon ski area, starting below the Hochjoch summit and finishing near the cable car's mountain station. The difference in altitude between start and finish is around 200 meters. During the World Cup, visitors can watch the snowboarders and skiers during the day time and enjoy concerts in Schruns in the nighttime. The Montafon Arlberg Marathon is a mountain marathon taking place since 2003. It encomprises 42,195 meters and 1,500 meters in altitude in two federal states (Vorarlberg and Tyrol).

Alpine Transhumance plays a vital role in traditional Alpine culture, just as do Yodeling, Alphorn, Schwingen, and cheese production.

The Montafon festive costume for women consists of a black dress (Juppa), whose bodice (Miadr) is laced at the front. An apron (Schoß) in pastel colors is tied over it. The embroidery is particularly valuable on this costume: the "Brosttuach" is tied in the front of the bodice (ibresa), the apron straps (Schoßbänder) are tied over the apron. Nowadays, the "Libli" (actually part of the younger girls' costume) is mainly worn by dance groups instead of outerwear. In this case, a white blouse is also part of the costume. The picture is rounded off by a red petticoat, red stockings, shoes with buckles and a bow tied around the neck. The most striking feature of the Montafon festive costume is the embroidery. This consists of two or more parts, depending on the occasion and the outer clothing of the costume. All embroidery is handmade, embroidered with silk on black velvet. A skilled embroiderer needs around 500 working hours to produce a complete embroidery. Today, the traditional garment is still being manufactured at the Juppenwerkstatt Riefensberg.

Glöggli Tschopa: The curly cut Glögglitschopa, so named after the red or green lined frill on the back, has long, narrow sleeves with lapels made of embroidered silk atlas. A characteristic of a well fitting Glögglitschopa is the Benkli, a fold running from the middle of the breast cloth to the Glöggli. Schlutta: The Schlutta, originally the warden chopa, is a brocade jacket. The collar has a delicate white tip. The classic Montafoner house mixes stone and wood elements.

The Montafoner Sauerkäse or Montafon cheese (dialect: Sura Kees or Sura Käs, referring to a type of sour cream/curdled milk cheese) is a sour cream cheese made in the Montafon since the 12th century. Montafon has one of the oldest traditions of cheese production in the Alpine region, and this is still an important dairy product. It has very little fat (1 10% fat in dry matter) and is a local speciality, similar to the Tyrolean grey cheese.

A number of celebrities including Alfred Dassler have stayed in the Montafon valley. Some of the older folks still talk about the long nights in Schruns playing cards and drinking with Ernest Hemingway and John dos Passos. The Snows of the Kilimanjaro (1936) and several other novels and short stories were written in, or they contain material about, the Montafon and the Silvretta glaciers. The famous German novelist and poet Erich Kästner also repeatedly visited the valley, as did the former German chancellor Helmut Kohl. The noted opera singer Elisabeth Schwarzkopf spent her last years in Schruns, where she died on August 2, 2006.