[12][13] Before the Romans conquered Vorarlberg, there were two Celtic tribes settled in this area: the Raeti in the highlands, and the Vindelici in the lowlands, i.e. the Lake Constance region and the Rhine Valley.

The government of Vorarlberg opposed union with Switzerland, but began half-hearted negotiations with Bern after the overwhelming result of the referendum.

By far the biggest company in Vorarlberg is Alpla (plastic packaging), followed by Blum, Grass, Gebrüder Weiss (transport and logistics), Zumtobel Group (lighting systems), Doppelmayr (cablecars), Rauch (beverages) and Wolford (textiles).

It is also known as Alpine transhumance and describes a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer.

[30] With the aim to support and preserve the local dairy production and the traditional agricultural heritage, the Bregenzerwald Cheese Route was founded in 1998.

It brings together architects, other design professionals and clients with craftspeople and actors from business, academia, the arts, culture and politics and address the issue of architectural quality through exhibitions, events and publications.

For clients and all those interested in cultural issues it offers a source of ideas and inspiration, as well as an initial contact with architecture for children.

For the complete list, go to:[41] In Vorarlberg, several public buildings for culture, tourism and leisure have been awarded with national and international prizes for architecture.

The route starts in the Kleinwalsertal in the north, continues through the Bregenz Forest, over the Arlberg and the Klostertal to the Montafon valley in the south.

[52] During the measuring period, the average snow height per winter season was approximately 9.30 m.[53] Skiers from these regions include Anita Wachter, Egon Zimmermann, Gerhard Nenning, Mario Reiter, Hubert Strolz, and Hannes Schneider, as well as the ski-jumper Toni Innauer.

The trail was developed by Vorarlberg Tourism in collaboration with local mountain guides Markus Moosbrugger, Hanno Dönz and Helmut Düringer, based on an idea by Joe Metzler.

Alemannic dialects are also spoken in Liechtenstein, Switzerland (as Swiss German), Baden-Württemberg, the south west of Bavaria and the Alsace region of France.

The Vorarlberg dialect is further divided into a number of regional sub-dialects (e.g. that of the Montafon, the Bregenzerwald and Lustenau are some of the most distinct) which tend to differ considerably from each other.

A whole set of Tracht consists of several elements: the "Juppe" (the apron), a headgear (caps, hats), a blouse, a "Tschopa" (jacket), and stockings.

Typical dishes from the Vorarlberg region are: Käsespätzle or Käsknöpfle (noodles of flour and eggs with cheese and onion), Riebel (dish of corn and wheat semolina, served spicy or sweet), Flädlesuppe (broth with savoury pancake strips), Grumpara mit Käs (peel pastry with cheese), Öpfelküachle (apples baked in pancake dough, topped with sugar and cinnamon).

With operas and musicals such as Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), West Side Story and Carmen, the Bregenzer Festspiele draws hundreds of thousands of spectators every 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.

Being held annually between July and August, it attracts around 20,000 visitors featuring music, exhibitions, poetry slams, fashion and an architectural prize.

[74] The Literaturfest Kleinwalsertal is a literary festival consisting of lectures, workshops, poetry slams and exhibitions and takes place in autumn.

Hosting lectures, panel discussions, concerts, guided walks as well as culinary tastings, it aims at highlighting social issues in the society in a very broad context.

In 1651, Michael Beer founded the Auer Zunft (Guild of Au) which is an important community of Vorarlberg builders, sculptors and carpenters who specialized in baroque building.

[94] Master builders and craftsmen from the Bregenz Forest in particular, but also from other parts of today's Vorarlberg, played a leading role in the 600 churches and monasteries that were built in the Baroque style in the 17th and 18th centuries.

[95] The master craftsmen of Au trained over 1,800 apprentices during a long construction boom which followed the Thirty Years' War.

The Neue Vorarlberger Bauschule evolved organically the second half of the 20th century, always involving craftsmen and locals in the building process.

Currently, many private houses and public buildings are renovated by architects, favoring local timber and limiting energy expenditure.

[…] The employment of innovative materials and construction principles, the integration of the latest technologies, and the development of new building products play a particularly important role.

[109] Occupying the Werkraum Bregenzerwald since 2014, the travelling exhibition Getting Things Done demonstrates the quality of Vorarlberg's architecture by means of 230 selected projects.

These tours take visitors to both urban and rural regions in order to illustrate architectural variety in Vorarlberg by select examples.

These examples are characterized by a functional mix, spatial versatility, formal radicalism, ecological far-sightedness and social integration.

The races are held in the Silvretta Montafon ski area, starting a little below the Hochjoch summit and finishing near the cable car's mountain station.