The best traffic-free bike rides around Fraxern

Parish Church of St. Agnes, Klaus Hillside location with a distant view - there is hardly a more ideal place for a church. Like other churches in the area, the Klaus parish church of St. Agnes is perched high above the village, with a view of the Rhine Valley Oberland. Built around 1500, it has a colorful building history with several extensions and enlargements. Built in the spirit of the Gothic period, the interior of St. Agnes has its own character thanks to the many wooden elements. Instead of high vaults, you will find a ceiling clad with flat wooden panels, and the gallery is decorated with carvings. Old and new complement each other here: the altar and baptismal font are from 1971, while a figure of Mary and child dates from 1640. Text / Source: Vorarlberg Tourismus GmbH, Poststraße 11, 6850 Dornbirn https://www.vorarlberg.travel/poi/klaus-pfarrkirche-heilige-agnes/

Mill in the hamlet on the Ratzbach The mills in the hamlet of Treiet (today Sägerweg), Weiler 17th century: A hammer forge was operated at the site of Weiler, Treiet - today Sägerweg. An overshot water wheel was already in operation at that time. 19th century: In 1838, Alois Ludescher, the great-grandfather of the current owner family Kurt Ludescher, bought the property and converted the forge into a sawmill and a grinding mill. His profession was thus sawmiller. The sawmill was then closed in 1961 in the third generation. The grinding mill was closed in 1964. This made Wilhelm and Hugo Ludescher the last sawyers and millers in Weiler. The millers' guild was of great importance in the Vorderland for centuries. The mills and saws in Weiler were known at the time as "thunderstorm saws" because they ran depending on the weather conditions. During prolonged droughts, operations could only be limited for a long time "due to a lack of energy". The house name "Sägers" has been preserved for descendants to this day and will continue to be maintained for future generations. In 1974, the sawmill and mill buildings were finally demolished. In their place stands the Kurt Ludescher family home. The water wheel system was preserved for posterity. In 2004, Kurt Ludescher built a small hydroelectric power station with his sons Manfred and Mario. The water intake in the Ratzbach, the water wheel, the water supply, the machine house for the 6 kWh generator and the control system had to be rebuilt or renewed. Up to 200 liters of water per second could be taken from the "Ratz" torrent, but 30 liters of residual water per second had to remain in the stream. The CHP plant produced around 12,000 kWh of electricity per year, which was used in the three households. The surplus electricity was fed into the grid. In 2018, the KWKW had to be stopped because the gear between the water wheel and the generator had become damaged and repairs were not economically viable. Today, the water wheel is still in operation as a "show water wheel" and can be operated with around 1.5 liters of water per second. A bit of nostalgia and memories always have their charm and are also an appreciation of our ancestors. Text / Source: Kurt and Maria Ludescher, Sägerweg 2, 6837 Weiler

The cherry village of Fraxern In May, the Vorarlberg mountain village of Fraxern is immersed in a sea of cherry blossoms. Because everything there revolves around this noble fruit. A few hundred meters above the floor of the Rhine Valley, in a location protected from the north wind, cherries thrive particularly well. People say that beautiful girls grow on trees in Fraxern. It is more true that the villagers climb the trees because of the beautiful cherries. As early as the 16th century, "Krispern" was mentioned as a special specialty of Fraxern - these days called "Kriasi" in Fraxern - translated from the Alemannic dialect, it means "cherries". And these grow in Fraxern in the best quality on 2000 well-tended cherry trees. Among the grafted wild cherries, the "Big Black" is the typical Fraxner cherry. Every cherry is picked at least twice - when picking and when sorting. An average harvest yields around 45 tons, that's more than five million cherries. In Fraxern, however, they are not only experts in growing cherries, but also in processing them. Everything is used: the fruit, the stone, the stem. The Fraxners distill schnapps and liqueurs or make jam from the fruit that is not sold. The stems are used to make bitter tea that helps with sore throats. The stones are made into a "Kriasimann", a small bag filled with cherry stones and then heated in the tiled stove, which provides warmth for longer than any hot water bottle. The cherries of Fraxen provide work all year round, but also pleasure and joy Text / Source: Leser Service Vorarlberger Nachrichten | VN.at https://www.vn.at https://cdn1.vol.at/2006/07/Kirschendorf_Fraxern.pdf

Parish Church of St. James the Elder, Fraxern Catholic Parish Church of St. James the Elder in Fraxern Visitors to the Fraxern Parish Church can enjoy a view of the entire upper Rhine Valley. Construction of the simple church began around 1900 to replace an older building from the 17th century. The existence of a chapel from 1502 is also documented in Fraxern. The interior of St. James is impressive thanks to stained glass paintings by Leonhard Schnitzer from the Tyrolean stained glass workshop. Fidelis Rudhart created the Gothic altars. The church also houses a large number of saints, such as St. James the Elder, to whom the church was dedicated. At the cemetery below the church building you will also find a Madonna of the Protective Cloak by Fraxern sculptor Jakob Summer. Text / Source: Vorarlberg Tourismus GmbH, Poststraße 11, 6850 Dornbirn https://www.vorarlberg.travel/poi/fraxern-pfarrkirche-heiliger-jakobus-der-aeltere/

There’s always someone to meet

Nice view of the town of Klaus

Catholic Church

Klaus in Vorarlberg