Bregenz

Bregenz (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁeːgɛnt͡s]) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. The city is located on the eastern shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the west and Germany in the northwest.

The city is situated on a plateau falling in a series of terraces to the lake at the foot of Pfänder mountain. It is a junction of the arterial roads from the Rhine valley to the German Alpine foothills, with cruise ship services on Lake Constance.

It is especially famous for the annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele.

History

The first settlements date from 1500 BC. Celtic tribe named Brigantii is mentioned by Strabo as a sub-tribe in these region of the Alps. In the 5th century BC, the Celts settled at Brigantion, which was one of their most heavily fortified locations. After battles in 15 BC, the Romans conquered Brigantion and the city became a Roman camp. It was conferred the status of a municipality (Brigantium) around 50 AD and was the seat of the Roman admiralty for Lake Constance. In 259/60 Brigantium was destroyed by the Alemanni, a Germanic people who settled in the area in around 450.

Bregenz District

The Bezirk Bregenz is an administrative district (Bezirk) in Vorarlberg, Austria. It comprises the Bregenz Forest region, the Leiblach valley, and the Austrian part of Lake Constance.

The area of the district is 863.37 km², its population is 130,425 (2012), and the population density is 151 people per km². The administrative centre of the district is Bregenz.

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into 40 municipalities, one of them is a town, and four are market towns.

Towns

Market towns

Municipalities

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