Discover Altach: Nature, Rhine floodplains and local history

Altach brings together nature and leisure activities along the Old Rhine with places of religious and architectural history. If you are looking for a hotel in Altach, it helps to first decide what brings you here: will your stay focus on leisure by the water, nature, or a particular cultural site? The following information shows the different ways the town can fit into your trip.

Nature and leisure along the Old Rhine

The Old Rhine biotope near Altach covers 19.42 hectares. Rheinauen is a leisure, swimming and recreation centre established through cooperation between the municipalities of Hohenems and Altach. Rheinauen includes a 400-metre-long side channel of the Old Rhine, which is an officially inspected natural body of water.

The figures refer to different features: 19.42 hectares is the area of the biotope, while 400 metres is the length of the side channel. This distinction can help with your travel planning: Rheinauen is for recreation, swimming and leisure; the Old Rhine biotope offers a separate connection to nature. The side channel is part of Rheinauen and links the leisure facility with the Old Rhine as a specific natural body of water. This makes it easy to distinguish between the leisure destination and the biotope according to the focus of your stay.

Religious and architectural history

The Islamic Cemetery of Altach opened in 2012 as the first Islamic cemetery in Vorarlberg. It is open to Muslims of all communities and from all municipalities and cities in Vorarlberg who wish to be buried according to Islamic rites.

In June 2013, the cemetery received the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture as one of four projects worldwide. The opening and the award mark different milestones: 2012 was the first of its kind in Vorarlberg, while 2013 brought architectural recognition. Both dates are significant to the cemetery’s history, but they represent different events.

The new St. Nicholas Church in Altach was consecrated in September 1825. This dates from considerably earlier than the cemetery’s opening in 2012 and its award in 2013. These milestones distinguish different periods in the town’s religious and architectural history: the church consecration in the early 19th century and the cemetery’s more recent history.

Altach’s harvest thanksgiving celebration is also considered a traditional event. After Mass, the fruit and horticultural association hosts the event in the church square. If you would like to include it in your travel plans, check the event date in advance.

A local tip for travelling with toddlers

There are play facilities for toddlers at the village square in Altach. This information adds a specific age-related consideration to the nature and history themes. If you are travelling with young children, you can take it into account as a separate aspect of your planning. At the village square, the focus is different from Rheinauen, the biotope or the historic sites: play facilities for the youngest visitors.

Discover more destinations: Götzis, Viktorsberg, Übersaxen, Batschuns, Röns, Dafins, Göfis, Meiningen

For the broader travel overview: Feldkirch.