Meiningen: Architectural History, Biotopes and Trails

Meiningen can be explored through three distinct themes: the architectural history of St. Agatha’s parish church and other historic buildings, the fen and floodplain meadows of the local biotopes, and two signposted trails. If you are looking for a hotel in Meiningen, these themes can help you get a sense of the destination. Depending on whether you are interested in architecture, landscape or a route, different aspects of the town take centre stage.

Architectural history in several stages

St. Agatha’s parish church includes a chapel built in 1477. In 1724, an extension with a gallery enlarged it into a church. The church tower was built in 1823 by Alois Weiss from Rankweil and master carpenter Josef Allgäuer from Gisingen. These three dates trace the development from the original chapel through its extension to the later tower.

Siebers Hus offers a different perspective on architectural history: the original Rhine Valley house dates from the 17th century, while its interiors reflect the period around 1900. The house and its interiors therefore represent different periods. The vicarage also has architectural significance: it is a listed building because of its architectural uniqueness. The customs house, also known as Dogana, was built in the 1820s and served as a building for the Imperial-Royal secondary customs office. Its former customs function distinguishes it from the residential and religious buildings.

Fen meadows, floodplain forest and a former clay pit

Meiningen’s biotopes feature a range of landscape types. Petzlern (Biotope 41301) covers 9.7 ha of extensive fen meadows of the Central European and tall purple moor-grass meadow type. Individual trees and groups of trees in the fields add structure to the area. Altenau (Biotope 41303) covers 2.8 ha and includes species-rich purple moor-grass meadows with good populations of some highly endangered species. Six isolated areas of litter meadow lie on the western edge of Meiningen’s built-up area.

Oberried (Biotope 41302) also covers 3.1 ha, divided among three isolated fen areas. Vegetation varies over short distances depending on the location; in some places the purple moor-grass meadows are very species-rich. Oberau (Biotope 41306) represents a different landscape type: its 57.5 ha of floodplain forest lie within the flood embankments of the Ill and Rhine, extending from Altenau to the border with Feldkirch. The Meiningen clay pit (Biotope 41305) is a former extraction site. Today, extensive shallow waters, broad reed beds and a surrounding belt of trees define the 3.1 ha site. This makes it possible to distinguish fen meadows, floodplain forest and the present-day landscape of a former extraction site.

Two trails with distinct characters

The “From Lake to Lake – Meiningen–Paspels–Rüttenen” trail is signposted throughout as a yellow-and-white-marked hiking trail. The Three-Country Trail “Movement – Encounter,” by contrast, is a cross-border circular route signposted as a cultural trail. It was established through a collaboration between the towns and municipalities of Altstätten, Feldkirch, Meiningen, Ruggell, Rüthi and Sennwald. The Three-Country Trail follows existing routes with sections of asphalt, gravel and meadow path. The first trail is marked yellow and white throughout; the circular route, its cultural-trail character and the listed trail surfaces distinguish the Three-Country Trail.

Plan your journey

Meiningen is not directly connected to the main rail and road routes. Local public transport provides seamless connections between the town and the centres of Feldkirch and Rankweil. As exact service patterns should be checked before travelling, check current connections and journey times when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Übersaxen, Schlins, Dünserberg, Feldkirch, Furx, Laterns, Zwischenwasser, Dafins

Back to the main travel overview: Feldkirch.