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58-519: Weitnau is situated in the Allgäu region in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps . The municipality consists of the town Weitnau and the villages of Seltmans, Sibratshofen, Kleinweiler, Hellengerst, Rechtis and Wengen; in addition to that there are several small hamlets, most notably Waltrams , Gerholz, Engelhirsch, Eisenbolz, Ettensberg, Klausenmühle and Weilerle. The town Weitnau lies in a valley bordered to

116-556: A "petty thief and idler" was decapitated by executioner Jakob Räß. In 1805 it was ceded to Bavaria under the peace treaties of Brünn and Pressburg . World War II took a heavy toll of lives, several dozen young men from the municipality fell on the frontlines in the West and particularly the East. Towards the end of the war, in April 1945, Weitnau was occupied first by French then by Moroccan troops,

174-475: A climatic health resort since December 2005. Weitnau's population has increased considerably since it reached a low in 1987 when only 3.873 citizens were counted. In 2005, 5.209 citizens were registered. Sustainable development of attractive new building grounds should guarantee a moderate increase of the population. A number of small and medium-sized companies are located within the community area. Metal- and plastics-processing companies are to be found as well as

232-480: A larger number of trades. According to the community's website, 373 companies are registered currently; there are 49 workshops, 18 companies in the catering trade, a number of retailers and 17 industrial companies. A new industrial estate is currently being developed to the west of Weitnau offering opportunities for a number of new businesses. Furthermore, there are 145 farms cultivating some 34 square kilometres of agricultural land and 28 square kilometres of woodland in

290-454: A licensed mountain hut offering food and service to hikers at weekends, opened in September 2007. • St. Pelagius Church ; the neo-Gothic church of the town of Weitnau. Reconstructed in part 1862-72. In all probability only the nave was reconstructed, the choir , which was built in 1739-1740, was very likely retained. Parts of the spire date back to the 14th century. The church is considered

348-442: A modern T-bar lift with a difference in altitude of 120 metres, was completely rebuilt in the early 2000s. In addition, there is a 100-metre beginners lift with a difference in altitude of 20 metres. Right next to the beginners lift, a short run is usually prepared for sledges and toboggans . Weitnau's cross-country skiing network has its starting point here and is regularly tracked from here. Weitnau has been twinned with Magné ,

406-592: A municipality in the north-west of France near the Atlantic Coast , since 1986. • Website Weitnau with pictures - German • Website local sports club with pictures - German • Website local school with pictures - German • Website local fire brigade with pictures - German • Golf course Hellengerst - German and English • Website ski lift - German with pictures • Weitnau Pension - German with pictures Allg%C3%A4u The Allgäu ( Standard German: [ˈalɡɔʏ] ) or Allgovia

464-649: A neo-Gothic sacred building, it features numerous elaborate stencil drawings and colourful embellishments. The statues of the high altar originate from the Multscher School and date back to around 1490. Station of the Jakobus Pilgrimage Trail • Alttrauchburg Castle Ruins ; extensively reconstructed castle ruins with inn and beer garden overlooking the village Kleinweiler. The Alttrauchburg can be reached via signposted hiking trails in approximately an hour from Weitnau. • Adler Guesthouse ; guesthouse in

522-635: Is a region in Swabia in southern Germany . It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia , southeastern Baden-Württemberg , and parts of Austria . The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps . The main rivers flowing through the Allgäu are the Lech and Iller . Allgäu is not an administrative unit. The alpine regions of the Allgäu rise over 2,000 metres in elevation and are popular for winter skiing. The Allgovian area

580-533: Is above 2000 metres. PERMOS (The Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network) is an operational monitoring service, and its main goal is to create long-term scientific documentation of the permafrost changes in the Swiss Alps. To accurately represent the current conditions of the Alps, the network records permafrost temperatures and thermal changes in boreholes, the bottom temperature of the snow cover, ground surface temperature, and

638-553: Is notable for its beautiful landscapes and is popular for vacations and therapeutic stays. It is well known in Germany for its farm produce, especially dairy products including Hirtenkäse ("herdsman's cheese") and Bergkäse ("mountain cheese"). Besides tourism and dairy products, another important economic sector is the building of industrial equipment and machines. Fendt tractors, developed and produced in Marktoberdorf are one of

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696-419: Is one of many countries that need to begin to think about the future of energy production in response to climate change. Switzerland is paving the way for a new wave of innovation and creative problem solving that the rest of the world will eventually need to follow. The following table gives the surface area above 2000 m and 3000 m and the respective percentage on the total area of each canton whose high point

754-646: Is part of the Central Eastern Alps , except the Ortler Alps which belong to the Southern Limestone Alps . The Pennine , Bernese and Bernina Range are the highest ranges of the country, they contain respectively 38, 9 and 1 summit over 4000 meters. The lowest range is the Appenzell Alps culminating at 2,500 meters. Western Alps Eastern Alps The north side of the Swiss Alps is drained by

812-460: Is situated above the tree line and is clear of trees due to low average temperatures. It contains mostly grass and small plants along with mountain flowers. Below the permafrost limit (at about 2,600 meters), the alpine meadows are often used as pastures. Some villages can still be found on the lowest altitudes such as Riederalp (1,940 m) or Juf (2,130 m). The extent of the Alpine zone is limited by

870-492: Is the first World Heritage Site in the Alps. As the temperature decreases with altitude (0.56 °C per 100 meters on yearly average), three different altitudinal zones, each having distinct climate, are found in the Swiss Alps: The Subalpine zone is the region that lies below the tree line . It is the most important region as it is the largest of the three and contains almost all human settlements as well as

928-770: The Helvetic zone on the north and the Austroalpine nappes – Southern Alps on the south come originally from the European and African continent respectively. The rocks of the Penninic nappes belong to the former area of the Briançonnais microcontinent and the Tethys Ocean . The closure of the latter by subduction under the African plate ( Piemont Ocean first and Valais Ocean later) preceded

986-514: The Middle Ages , transit across the Alps played an important role in history. The region north of St Gotthard Pass became the nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the early 14th century. The Alps cover 60% of Switzerland's total 41,285 square kilometres (15,940 sq mi) surface area, making it one of the most alpine countries. Despite the fact that Switzerland covers only 14% of

1044-708: The Rhône , Rhine and Inn (which is part of the Danube basin) while the south side is mainly drained by the Ticino (Po basin). The rivers on the north empty into the Mediterranean , North and Black Sea , on the south the Po empty in the Adriatic Sea . The major triple watersheds in the Alps are located within the country, they are: Piz Lunghin , Witenwasserenstock and Monte Forcola . Between

1102-580: The Swiss Alpine Club in 1863) and the opening of mountain train lines ( Rigi in 1873, Pilatus in 1889, Gornergrat in 1898). The Jungfraubahn opened in 1912; it leads to the highest railway station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch . Switzerland enjoys a 62,000-km network of well-maintained trails, of which 23,000 are located in mountainous areas. Many mountains attract a large number of alpinists from around

1160-859: The Swiss Alps , represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains , one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps , encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland,

1218-587: The Swiss Plateau , before retreating and leaving remnants only in high mountain areas. In modern times the Aletsch Glacier in the western Bernese Alps is the largest and longest in the Alps, reaching a maximum depth of 900 meters at Konkordiaplatz . Along with the Fiescher and Aar Glaciers , the region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. An effect of the retreat of the Rhine Glacier some 10,000 years ago

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1276-532: The Alps are (from west to east): France , Italy , Austria and Liechtenstein . The Alps are usually divided into two main parts, the Western Alps and Eastern Alps , whose division is along the Rhine from Lake Constance to the Splügen Pass . The western ranges occupy the greatest part of Switzerland while the more numerous eastern ranges are much smaller and are all situated in the canton of Graubünden . The latter

1334-407: The Alps i.e. 2,800 square kilometres (1,100 sq mi). The Swiss Alps are situated south of the Swiss Plateau and north of the national border. The limit between the Alps and the plateau runs from Vevey on the shores of Lake Geneva to Rorschach on the shores of Lake Constance , passing close to the cities of Thun and Lucerne . The not well defined regions in Switzerland that lie on

1392-692: The Alps is a key issue at national and international levels, as the European continent is at places divided by the range. Since the beginning of industrialisation Switzerland has improved its transalpine network; it began in 1882, by building the Gotthard Rail Tunnel , followed in 1906 by the Simplon Tunnel and 1913 by the Lötschberg Tunnel , and more recently, in 2007, by the Lötschberg Base Tunnel . The 57.1-km long Gotthard Base Tunnel ,

1450-419: The Alps total 192,753 square kilometres (74,422 sq mi) area, 48 out of 82 alpine four-thousanders are located in the Swiss Alps and practically all of the remaining 34 are within 20 kilometres (12 mi) of the country's border. The glaciers of the Swiss Alps cover an area of 1,220 square kilometres (470 sq mi) — 3% of the Swiss territory, representing 44% of the total glaciated area in

1508-615: The French/Moroccans left in July of the same year, and American troops took over occupation duties in Weitnau. Rechtis-Hellengerst, then only a rural community, voluntarily joined the municipality of Weitnau in 1963, in 1973 the municipality of Wengen was incorporated into the municipality of Weitnau when a regional reorganization of municipalities in Bavaria took place. Weitnau has been recognized as

1566-608: The Hauchenberg mountain a lookout tower was constructed in 2007 with the help of helicopter airlifts. At a height of 1240 m., the "Alpkönigblick", which was officially opened on 21 October 2007 by the Bavarian State Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Josef Miller, offers scenic views of the Weitnau valley and surrounding landscape to the north, and the German, Austrian and Swiss Alps to the south. A short stroll away Kling's Alpe,

1624-690: The Helvetic Zone and those on the south side are part of the Penninic nappes. The Austroalpine zone concerns almost only the Eastern Alps, with the notable exception of the Matterhorn . The last glaciations greatly transformed Switzerland's landscape. Many valleys of the Swiss Alps are U-shaped due to glacial erosion. During the maximum extension of the Würm glaciation (18,000 years ago) the glaciers completely covered

1682-409: The Swiss Alps began with the first ascents of the main peaks of the Alps ( Jungfrau in 1811, Piz Bernina in 1850, Monte Rosa in 1855, Matterhorn in 1856, Dom in 1858, Weisshorn in 1861) mostly by British mountain climbers accompanied by the local guides. The construction of facilities for tourists started in the mid-nineteenth century with the building of hotels and mountain huts (creation of

1740-963: The Witenwasserenstock and Piz Lunghin runs the European Watershed separating the basin of the Atlantic (the North Sea) and the Mediterranean Sea (Adriatic and the Black Sea). The European watershed lies only partially on the main chain . Switzerland possesses 6% of Europe's freshwater, and is sometimes referred to as the "water tower of Europe". Since the highest dams are located in Alpine regions, many large mountain lakes are artificial and are used as hydroelectric reservoirs. Some large artificial lakes can be found above 2,300 m, but natural lakes larger than 1 km are generally below 1,000 m (with

1798-419: The attractiveness of the Alpine landscape, increasing winter temperatures will result in a shorter skiing season, and these climate changes are limiting the amount of snow coverage produced. All of these climate and geographical factors are leading to a smaller number of visitors and reduced revenues which can have an intense economic impact on winter tourism. In response to these changes, Switzerland has turned to

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1856-555: The collision between the two plates and the so-called alpine orogeny. The major thrust fault of the Tectonic Arena Sardona in the eastern Glarus Alps gives a visible illustration of mountain-building processes and was therefore declared a UNESCO World Heritage. Another fine example gives the Alpstein area with several visible upfolds of Helvetic zone material. With some exceptions, the Alps north of Rhône and Rhine are part of

1914-456: The country. Switzerland depends on the use of hydroelectricity to power nearby communities, but as glaciers melt and stop refreezing, the melting that creates the energy ceases to exist. Researchers have been evaluating how the topography will change as the glaciers begin to decrease and they are looking more deeply into potential construction costs, energy production, and future problems they might encounter with these new developments. Switzerland

1972-414: The development of snow cover. The network additionally takes air photos periodically from selected areas. These monitoring strategies continue to develop as new research and data are recorded over time. The glaciers in the Swiss Alps have lost around half their volume during the last 90–120 years. The composition of the great tectonic units reflects the history of the formation of the Alps. The rocks from

2030-468: The earliest names given to settlements in the valley. Such names can be traced back to the 8th century A.D. when a settlement in the Weitnau valley was referred to as "Witunavia", possibly an Old High German name. The prefix "witun" might be traced back to Old High German "wittan" meaning "to widen" or "make wider"; the suffix "avia" might be traced back to the Old High German "awia" meaning "land by

2088-527: The exceptions of lakes in the Engadin such as Lake Sils , and Oeschinen in the Bernese Oberland). The melting of low-altitude glaciers can generate new lakes, such as the 0.25 km large Triftsee which formed between 2002 and 2003. Switzerland has been using this concerning transition in climate as a positive opportunity to develop new innovations and to change the ways that energy is being produced in

2146-526: The first permanent snow, its altitude greatly varies depending on the location (and orientation), it comprises between 2,800 and 3,200 meters. The glacial zone is the area of permanent snow and ice. When the steepness of the slope is not too high it results in an accumulation and compaction of snow, which transforms into ice. The glacier-formed then flows down the valley and can reach as far down as 1,500 meters (the Upper Grindelwald Glacier ). Where

2204-511: The longest railway tunnel of the world, opened in 2016 and provides a direct flat rail link through the Alps. The different names of the mountains and other landforms are named in the four national languages . The table below gives the most recurrent names. Also, a large number of peaks outside the Alps were named or nicknamed after Swiss mountains, such as the Wetterhorn Peak in Colorado or

2262-1069: The majority of ski resorts in Switzerland tend to open in December and run through to April. The most visited places are: Other important destinations on the regional level are Engelberg - Titlis (Central Switzerland / OW ) and Gotthard Oberalp Arena with Andermatt (Central Switzerland / UR ) and Sedrun (GR), Leysin -Les Mosses, Villars-sur-Ollon , Les Diablerets -Glacier 3000 (all VD), Leukerbad (VS), Savognin , Scuol , Obersaxen , Breil/Brigels (all GR), Meiringen – Hasliberg (BE), Sörenberg ( LU ), Klewenalp with Beckenried and Emmetten (both NW ), Melchsee-Frutt ( OW ), Flumserberg and Pizol (both Sarganserland in SG ), Toggenburg with Wildhaus – Unterwasser – Alt St. Johann (SG), Hoch-Ybrig and Stoos (all SZ ), Braunwald and Elm ( GL ), Airolo and Bosco/Gurin ( TI ) and many more. The first person to ski in Grindelwald , Switzerland

2320-739: The margin of the Alps, especially those on the north side, are called the Swiss Prealps ( Préalpes in French, Voralpen in German, Prealpi in Italian). The Swiss Prealps are mainly made of limestone and they generally do not exceed 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The Alpine cantons (from highest to lowest) are Valais , Bern , Graubünden , Uri , Glarus , Ticino , St. Gallen , Vaud , Obwalden , Nidwalden , Schwyz , Appenzell Innerrhoden , Appenzell Ausserrhoden , Fribourg , Lucerne and Zug . The countries with which Switzerland shares mountain ranges of

2378-646: The most famous products of the region. The castle of Neuschwanstein in Hohenschwangau is in the eastern part of the Allgäu. The Allgäu is dominated in the south by the Allgäu Alps , which are not part of the Allgäu themselves. The Allgäu is formed mainly by glaciers and glacial debris. Many hills and lakes are remnants of former glaciers. 47°45′N 10°10′E  /  47.750°N 10.167°E  / 47.750; 10.167 Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland , conventionally referred to as

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2436-528: The mountain regions are within 1 to 3 hours travel of Switzerland's main cities and their respective airport . The Engadine in Graubünden is between 3 and 6 hours away from the large cities; the train journey itself, with the panoramic Glacier Express or Bernina Express , is popular with tourists. The Engadin Airport near St. Moritz at an altitude of 1,704 meters is the highest in Europe. The crossing of

2494-584: The municipality. The Volksschule (elementary and secondary school) Weitnau serves a large catchment area. Apart from pupils of the municipality of Weitnau, recently also pupils from the neighboring community of Missen have been taught in Weitnau. The Volksschule consists of the main building in Weitnau, which was extended and refurbished in the mid-1990s, and a small branch in the village Kleinweiler. In school year 2006/2007, some 420 pupils in 18 classes are taught by 29 teachers and tutors. Two nursery schools, also in Weitnau and Kleinweiler, with 14 attendants serve

2552-415: The needs of young families. • Carl-Hirnbein-Erlebnisweg ; an adventure hiking trail between Weitnau and Missen featuring attractions, playgrounds and sheltered places for rest. Numerous displays provide detailed information about the flora and fauna in the surrounding forest and invite hikers to participate in games and to solve educative riddles and anagrams. • Hauchenberg and "Alpkönigblick" ; on top of

2610-515: The north by the Sonneck mountain (elev. 1109 m.) and to the south by the Hauchenberg mountain (elev. 1243 m.). The stream Weitnauer Bach has its source in the east of the municipality's area and flows into the 49 miles long river Argen in Seltmans. The Argen river itself flows into Lake Constance and thus is a tributary to the river Rhine , one of Germany's major rivers. The name Weitnau is derived from

2668-454: The production of artificial snow to match the demand for these tourist destinations and to uphold the structure and well-being of the economy. The Swiss Alps and Switzerland enjoy an extensive transport network . Virtually every mountain village can be reached by public transport, either by rail , bus, funicular, cable car, or usually a combination of them. The main companies of the coherently integrated public transport system are: Most of

2726-595: The productive areas. The forests are mainly composed of conifers above 1,200–1,400 meters, the deciduous tree forest is confined to lower elevations. The upper limit of the Subalpine zone is located at about 1,800 meters on the north side of the Alps and about 2,000 meters on the south side. It can, however, differ in some regions such as the Appenzell Alps (1,600 meters) or the Engadin valley (2,300 meters). The Alpine zone

2784-490: The slopes are too steep, the snow accumulates to form overhanging seracs , which periodically fall off due to the downward movement of the glacier and cause ice avalanches. The Bernese Alps, Pennine Alps, and Mont Blanc Massif contain most of the glaciated areas in the Alps. Except for research stations such as the Sphinx Observatory , no settlements are to be found in those regions. Due to the change in weather patterns,

2842-474: The southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France , Italy , Austria and Liechtenstein . The Swiss Alps comprise almost all the highest mountains of the Alps , such as Dufourspitze (4,634 m), the Dom (4,545 m), the Liskamm (4,527 m), the Weisshorn (4,506 m) and the Matterhorn (4,478 m). The other following major summits can be found in this list of mountains of Switzerland . Since

2900-436: The summers are expected to continue getting warmer and drier, while the winters are expected to become moister. This change in the weather increases the chances of flooding with heavier rainfall, the melting of permafrost zones, a change in the geography and wildlife, and the occurrence of more deadly rock slides. Furthermore, natural hazards are occurring more frequently, such as floods, avalanches, and landslides. Additionally,

2958-465: The town of Weitnau which used to house the official chambers of the House of Bregenz-Hohenegg. Probably built in 1753. Today a restaurant and guesthouse which also houses the public library, the tourism office and a small museum. • 18-Hole Golf Course in Hellengerst which offers panoramic views of the Alps. • Argental Skilifte ; Two ski lifts offer well-prepared pistes for beginners and seasoned skiers and snowboarders. The 500-metre-long family lift,

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3016-544: The water supply that the glaciers originally provided is on the decline, which is problematic for producing energy, agricultural practices, and other human use. Finally, the glacial melting puts the economy at risk because there will be less incoming financial revenue from the tourism and recreation services that these glaciers and ecosystems typically provide. All of these impacts will disrupt the nearby communities and require that updated infrastructure and safety measures be put into place to prevent mass destruction. Tourism in

3074-431: The water". Thus Witunavia can roughly be translated to "broad pastures by a stream", a term which certainly does justice to a small stream settlement in a wide valley. Over the centuries the term was shortened and the suffix changed first to "Witenowe" - possibly Middle High German as the new suffix "owe" suggests - in the 12th century. Then to Weitnaw by the 16th century and Weüttnau by the 18th century. Around 1834 Weitnau

3132-789: The world, especially the 4000-meter summits and the great north faces ( Eiger , Matterhorn and Piz Badile ). The large winter resorts are also popular destinations in summer, as most of aerial tramways operate through the year, enabling hikers and mountaineers to reach high altitudes without much effort. The Klein Matterhorn is the highest summit of the European continent to be served by cable car. The major destinations for skiing and other winter sports are located in Valais , Bernese Oberland and Graubünden . Some villages are car-free and can be accessed only with public transports such as Riederalp and Bettmeralp . Zermatt and Saas-Fee have both summer ski areas. The ski season starts from as early as November and runs to as late as May; however,

3190-460: Was Englishmen Gerald Fox (a resident of Tone Dale House in England) who put his skis on in his hotel bedroom in 1881 and walked out through the hotel Bar to the slopes wearing them. Some major sporting activities include: Climate change is impacting European Alpine tourism due to the increasing number and intensity of natural hazards, and it is endangering the accessibility and infrastructure of tourism destinations. Melting glaciers are affecting

3248-400: Was finally referred to as "Weidnau". Around 1200–800 BCE, Illyrians from the east and Veneti from the west started settling in the Allgäu . Argen is an Illyrian name and probably means "forest stream". In 90 CE, the Roman road from Cambodunum ( Kempten ) to Brigantium ( Bregenz ) led through the Wengen valley, where a Roman milestone was found in 1500. It is believed that Weitnau

3306-420: Was mentioned for the first time in 726 as "Witunavia". It is certain that in 1250 Weitnau was mentioned as "Witenove". Until 1805 Weitnau belonged to the Austrian House of Bregenz-Hohenegg. As early as the 13th century, Weitnau was an administrative center, the legal domicile of the House of Bregenz-Hohenegg and enjoyed the right to hold a market. In 1760, the last execution took place when a certain Lukas Bentele

3364-480: Was the Flims Rockslide , the biggest still visible landslide worldwide. To protect endangered species some sites have been brought under protection. The Swiss National Park in Graubünden was established in 1914 as the first alpine national park. The Entlebuch area was designated a biosphere reserve in 2001. The largest protected area in the country is the Parc Ela , opened in 2006, which covers an area of 600 square kilometres. The Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area

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