Bezau

Bezau lies in the Bregenz Forest, a hilly stretch of western Vorarlberg near the German border. The town sits on the Bregenzer Ach river, which winds through meadows and wooded slopes. To the north are the Allgäu Alps, their peaks often dusted with snow even in summer. Bezau covers 34 square kilometres, making it one of the larger villages in the central forest. The church of St Jodok dominates the skyline, its copper roof catching the late afternoon light. Behind the village, the hills rise steadily towards the Hochtannberg massif. In winter the slopes fill with skiers heading for the nearby resorts. The first written record of Bezau appears in 1249 as ‘Baezenowe’. For centuries it remained a farming hamlet under the rule of nearby lords. The building of its own parish church in 1497 gave the settlement a sense of independence. A Capuchin monastery founded in 1656 brought scholars and craftsmen to the valley. In 1806 Bezau became the seat of the district court for the whole Bregenz Forest. The narrow-gauge railway from Bregenz reached the village in 1902, carrying timber and visitors until it closed in 1983. Today Bezau is known for its weekly Friday market where farmers sell cheese and produce. Every August the Bezau Beatz festival fills lanes and halls with jazz and world music. The local heritage museum occupies a traditional wooden farmhouse and shows how families once lived off the land. Visitors can still ride a short stretch of the old railway, now called the Wälderbähnle, through the green valley. The Bregenz Forest Walk links Bezau with twelve other villages, letting walkers compare centuries of farm architecture. The village’s coat of arms shows a spruce tree uprooted against a red field, a reminder of the forest that shaped its past.