Altstadt


Dornbirn’s compact old town centres on the Marktplatz¸ where your gaze is drawn to the crooked, 17th-century Rotes Haus, which owes its intense red hue to an unappetising mix of oxblood and bile. Next door, the neoclassical columns and free-standing Gothic belfry of Pfarrkirche St Martin catch your eye.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Inatura

0.39 MILES

Dornbirn’s biggest draw is this hands-on museum. It’s a wonderland for kids who can pet (stuffed) foxes and handle (real) spiders, whip up tornadoes,…

2. Rolls-Royce Museum

2.19 MILES

Situated at the bottom of Rappenlochschlucht and ensconced in a 19th-century cotton mill, this museum harbours the world’s largest collection of Rolls…

3. Jüdisches Museum Hohenems

4.19 MILES

Housed in the Rosenthal villa in Hohenems, 6km south of Dornbirn, this museum zooms in on Hohenems’ long-defunct Jewish community with photos, documents…

4. Angelika Kauffmann Museum

5.05 MILES

This ultramodern museum houses rotating exhibitions in summer of Swiss-Austrian neoclassical painter Angelika Kauffmann’s works. The artist had strong…

5. Oberstadt

6.01 MILES

Slung high above the lake is the Oberstadt, Bregenz’ tiny old town of winding streets, candy-coloured houses and flowery gardens. It’s still enclosed by…

6. Martinstor

6.04 MILES

Part of the original defensive walls in Bregenz' Oberstadt, this fortified gate is guarded by the grotesque, mummified remains of a shark.

7. Martinsturm

6.05 MILES

Not far past Martinstor is this baroque tower, topped by the largest onion dome in Central Europe. It’s worth seeing the 14th-century Gothic frescoes in…

8. Vorarlberg Museum

6.29 MILES

One of Bregenz' most striking landmarks is this white cuboid emblazoned with what appears to be 16,656 flowers (actually PET bottle bases imprinted in…