Lutz

The Lutz is a thirty-kilometre river that drains the Great Walser Valley in Vorarlberg. It rises as the Lägerzunbach above Buchboden at about 2,100 metres and flows north-east into the Ill. The valley sides are steep, with alpine pastures and scattered hamlets along its banks. The river’s name comes from the Latin lutum, meaning muddy or turbid water. Its catchment covers roughly 180 square kilometres, and the last stretch near Nenzing and Thüringen still holds an undisturbed flood-plain woodland. Two power plants, Oberstufe Lutz and Unterstufe Lutz, draw water through reservoirs at Raggal and Gstins to generate electricity. Walkers can follow the Lutz downstream from Buchboden to the Ill. The path passes alpine meadows, wooded slopes and the quiet riverbanks of the nature reserve. At the mouth the Lutz widens into a broad gravel bed before joining the Ill, offering a peaceful end to the valley’s clear streams.