Page 260 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

258  A USTRIA REGION b y REGION

resort. The fame of the resort
spread around the world and
many celebrities and royals
began to spend their winter
holidays in Lech, including the
late Princess Diana.
The town’s development
has been closely associated
with the construction of the
Arlberg and Flexen passes,
which made Lech accessible
in the winter months. Lifts and
cable cars were built, and the
vast snowy slopes of the Arlberg
began to attract winter sports
Warth, a town situated within the most famous winter sports region enthusiasts. Summer, too, can
be very pleasant here, and there
a Elbigenalp St Martin’s cemetery chapel in are many beautiful trails for
Elbigenalp has interesting original walking or mountain cycling.
Road map A4. * 850. £
Tel (05634) 621 012. Gothic frescoes depicting scenes Sights to see include the 15th-
from the life of St Magdalene century Gothic church of St
The Lech river valley, which is and the Dance of Death by Nicholas, with an even older
parallel to the Inn river valley Anton Falger. tower. In addition, there are
and snakes between mountain swanky hotels, chic shops, smart
passes, cuts a deep ravine cafés and restaurants, which
between the Allgäuer Alps and s Lech am Arlberg combine to make Lech a tourist
the Lechtal Alps. About halfway Road map A4. * 1,500. @ £ magnet for the wealthy.
between the towns of Reutte Tel (05583) 2161-0. ∑ lech-zuers.at Lech has joined Zürs, Stuben
and Warth lies Elbigenalp, a and St Anton to form a large
small village worth visiting This small resort is situated on single skiing region.
for the local Nikolauskirche a large plateau at an altitude
(church of St Nicholas). Built in of 1,450 m (4,757 ft), not far
the 14th century, the church’s from the source of the Lech d Zürs am Arlberg
oldest surviving parts include river. Lech is regarded as one Road map A4. * 130. £
the Gothic tower, presbytery of Austria’s most beautiful and Tel (05583) 2245. ∑ lech-zuers.at
and font. It was altered in the most elegant mountain resorts.
Baroque style, and the vault In order to protect the natural Zürs, a tiny resort some 6 km
and wall paintings as well as environment, some years ago (4 miles) south of Lech, lies at
the Stations of the Cross are the local authorities drastically an altitude of 1,716 m (5,630 ft).
the work of the artistic Zeiller limited the available accommo- Along with neighbouring Lech,
family, who lived in Reutte. dation, thus creating an exclusive Zürs places a great emphasis on

A fabulous scenery of snowy mountain peaks rising above Zürs am Arlberg
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp298–9 and pp323–4

258-259_EW_Austria.indd 258 03/09/15 5:44 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.1)
Date 5th December 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm