The wood keeps sawmills in business – there’s a sawmill in almost every municipality. Architects use the wood to build houses and design façades, while skilled workers produce furniture and accessories, including shoes and clogs known as ‘Hölzlar’, from it. More wood grows in the Bregenzerwald than is used.
Building with timber has a long tradition in the Bregenzerwald. That’s demonstrated by the many buildings that feature wooden shingles and interiors that boast wooden panelling. Wood from spruce is primarily used for shingles and from silver fir for interiors. Wood from silver fir has the advantage that it doesn’t exude resin.
Today’s architects have taken up these traditions and reinterpreted them. Clear lines and solutions that are as aesthetic as they are ecological constitute the hallmarks of contemporary timber architecture. And the region’s skilled craftspeople working in wood create the appropriate interiors. Werkraum Bregenzerwald brings together around 100 of these innovative skilled workers and the Werkraumhaus in Andelsbuch is one of the places where they showcase their work. It’s also possible to experience the region’s high quality of living and well-being in many of its restaurants, hotels and holiday lets.