Dornbirn

Dornbirn
Dornbirn
Location of Dornbirn within Vorarlberg
Country	Austria
State	Vorarlberg
District	Dornbirn
Mayor	Wolfgang Rümmele (ÖVP)
Area	120.97 km2 (47 sq mi)
Elevation	437 m  (1434 ft)
Population	45,797 (1 January 2011)[1]
- Density	379 /km² (981 /sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	DO
Postal code	6850
Area code	05572
Website	www.dornbirn.at Coordinates: 47°24′48.30″N 09°44′39.90″E / 47.413417°N 9.744417°E / 47.413417; 9.744417

Dornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district (Bezirk) Dornbirn, which also includes the city of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau.

The largest city in Vorarlberg and the tenth largest in all of Austria, Dornbirn is an important commercial and shopping center.

Geography

Geographical situation

Dornbirn is located in western Vorarlberg at 437 meters above sea level in the Rhine Valley, at the foot of the Karren mountain, part of the Bregenzerwaldgebirge mountain chain at the edge of the Eastern Alps. It is near the borders to Switzerland, Germany and Liechtenstein. The Dornbirner Ach river flows through the city and later into Lake Constance.

Municipal structure

Marktplatz

Dornbirn once consisted only of 4 "quarters": Markt, Hatlerdorf, Oberdorf and Haselstauden. By the 20th century Dornbirn had annexed two formerly independent communities to the west: Rohrbach and Schoren, thus bringing the total number of districts to 6.

Neighboring municipalities

The Town of Dornbirn constitutes almost 70% of the surface of the district Dornbirn and has numerous borders to other municipalities. As well as bordering on the two other municipalities in the Dornbirn district (Hohenems and Lustenau), the town shares borders with 15 municipalities of the Bregenz district: (Lauterach, Wolfurt, Schwarzach, Bildstein, Alberschwende, Schwarzenberg, Reuthe, Mellau, Damüls) and four with the Feldkirch district: (Laterns, Zwischenwasser, Viktorsberg, Fraxern).

Dornbirn, church

History

The earliest evidence of human presence in the Dornbirn area can be dated from the Mesolithic era. The name "Dornbirn" derives from 'torrin puirron', meaning the 'Settlement of Torro' (the name of an Alemannic farmer living there) and thus has nothing to do with "pears" (German "Birnen"), although this fruit is prominently portrayed on the city emblem. This name is mentioned for the first time in 895, in a document from St. Gallen (Switzerland).

Dornbirn became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1380. In 1793 it was elevated to a market community. It was not given municipal status until 1901. In 1932 the mountain village of Ebnit was annexed. In 1969 Dornbirn became the seat of the new Dornbirn district administrative authority.

Politics

Municipal Council

Dornbirn Rädermacher

The Dornbirn Municipal Council has 36 seats and the following party mandates:

• 21 ÖVP
• 8 SPÖ
• 4 Die Grünen
• 3 FPÖ

The current mayor (since 1999) is Wolfgang Rümmele (ÖVP).

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Austria

Dornbirn has town partnerships with

• Kecskemét, Hungary
• Sélestat, France

Well-known citizens of Dornbirn

• Angelika Birck, psychologist
• Reinhard Eugen Bösch, politician
• Karl Cordin, ski racer
• Artur Doppelmayr, cable car constructor
• Francis Martin Drexel (1792–1863), Philadelphia banker and artist
• Margret Dünser, journalist
• Ingrid Eberle, ski racer
• Wolfgang Flatz, artist, scenic designer, musician and composer
• Elfi Graf, singer
• Ulrich Ilg, politician, former Governor of Vorarlberg
• Yvonne Meusburger, WTA tennis player
• Tamira Paszek, WTA tennis player
• August Paterno, Priest, pastoral counselor

Notable architecture

The Messestadion is an indoor sporting arena located in Dornbirn, and home to the local ice hockey team.

Economy

In Dornbirn Vorarlberg's regional studio of the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) is located.

Zumtobel Lighting Group is an ATX traded company based in Dornbirn. Many other large companies are situated there. The city was formerly a major center of the textile industry, which has been in decline since the 1980s.

Transportation

Located in the center of the Rhine valley, Dornbirn is an important junction of regional and interregional bus lines, connecting Bregenz to the north, Feldkirch to the south, and the Bregenzerwald to the east. The A14 Rheintal freeway/motorway (Autobahn) passes by to the west. The Achrain tunnel, opened in 2009, directly connects Dornbirn/Haselstauden with the Bregenzerwald - Alberschwende. The city has an excellent network of city buses.

Dornbirn's railway station connects is an important stop for all trains from west to east Austria.

A small airport is located at nearby Hohenems.

Education

Educational institutions in Dornbirn include the Fachhochschule Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, two General Education Secondary Schools, and a Higher Technical Vocational College (Höhere Technische Lehranstalt).

Sports

One of the most important sportive institutions in Dornbirn is the RHC Dornbirn, one of the most powerful Austrian Rink Hockey teams. In 2010 it will be the host city of 2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship. Baseball & Softball Club Dornbirn was founded in 1990, and has won the Austrian title twice. BSC Dornbirn consists of one youth team, two men's teams, and two women's teams. www.indians.at for more information.

References

1. ^ Statistik Austria - Bevölkerung zu Jahres- und Quartalsanfang, 2011-01-01.

External links

• City of Dornbirn
• Dornbirn.com
• College of Applied Sciences
• Natural History Museum (Inatura)
• Rolls Royce Museum
• Roller Hockey Dornbirn Club
• Tiscover Dornbirn
• Spielboden Cultural Events
• Worldgymnaestrada
• PhotoGlobe - Dornbirn offers high quality photos together with GPS coordinates