Dornbirn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dornbirn
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Dornbirn within Vorarlberg
Dornbirn Location in Vorarlberg Show map of Vorarlberg Dornbirn Location in Austria Show map of Austria
Country	Austria
State	Vorarlberg
District	Dornbirn
Area
• Total	120.93 km2 (46.69 sq mi)
Elevation	437 m (1,434 ft)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6850
Area code	05572
Vehicle registration	DO
Website	www.dornbirn.at

Dornbirn is a cool city in the western part of Austria, in a state called Vorarlberg. It's the main city for the Dornbirn district, which also includes towns like Hohenems and Lustenau.

Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlberg. It's also the tenth largest city in all of Austria! It's a really important place for shopping and business.

Exploring Dornbirn's Geography

Where is Dornbirn Located?

Dornbirn is found about 437 meters (that's about 1,434 feet) above sea level. It sits in a valley called the Alpine Rhine Valley. The city is right at the foot of the Karren mountain, which is part of the Bregenz Forest Mountains. It's also super close to the borders of Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein. A river called the Dornbirner Ach flows through the city and eventually into Lake Constance.

How is Dornbirn Organized?

Marktplatz

Dornbirn used to have just four main areas, or "quarters": Markt, Hatlerdorf, Oberdorf, and Haselstauden. But in the 1900s, two new areas were added in the west: Rohrbach and Schoren. So now, Dornbirn has six different parts!

Cities and Towns Near Dornbirn

Dornbirn covers almost 70% of its district's land. It shares borders with many other towns. These include Hohenems and Lustenau, plus 15 towns from the Bregenz District like Lauterach and Alberschwende. It also borders four towns from the Feldkirch District, such as Laterns.

Dornbirn, St.-Leopold-church

A Look at Dornbirn's History

The very first signs of people living in the Dornbirn area go way back to the Stone Age. The name "Dornbirn" comes from an old word, 'torrin puirron'. This means 'the Settlement of Torro', named after an old farmer from the Alemannic people. It has nothing to do with "pears" (which is "Birnen" in German), even though pears are shown on the city's emblem! The name 'Torrin puirron' was first written down in a document from St. Gallen in Switzerland in the year 895.

Dornbirn became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1380. In 1793, it became a market community, which is a step up from a village. It didn't become a full city until 1901. Later, in 1932, a mountain village called Ebnit joined Dornbirn. In 1969, Dornbirn became the main place for the new Dornbirn district government.

Dornbirn's Population Over Time

Dornbirn has grown a lot over the years! Here's a quick look at the largest groups of people from other countries who live in Dornbirn:

Largest groups of foreign residents
Nationality	Population
Turkey	1,813
Germany	1,209
Bosnia & Herzegovina	460
Croatia	347
Russia	239

Discovering Dornbirn's Culture

Museums to Explore

The City Museum Dornbirn is a local museum that tells the story of the city. It shows old photos, traditional crafts, how people used to farm, and about the textile industry that was once very big here.

Inatura

Inatura is a super cool, interactive natural history museum. You can learn all about nature in Vorarlberg and explore hands-on exhibits.

The Mohren Biererlebniswelt is a museum about beer from Vorarlberg's oldest brewery, Mohrenbrauerei. It shows old brewing tools and teaches you about the history of making beer. They even have workshops!

The Rolls-Royce Museum is a private museum filled with Rolls-Royce cars. People say it has the biggest collection of these famous cars in the world!

ART BODENSEE is an art event that happens every year. Artists, collectors, and art lovers come together to see amazing works by artists from all over the world. It started in 2001.

The FLATZ Museum is a place for new and interesting art ideas. It has changing exhibits, often focusing on photography. They also host readings, talks, and performances.

Cool Architecture in Dornbirn

Dornbirn's Messestadion is an indoor sports arena. It's where the local ice hockey team plays their games.

One example of modern architecture in Vorarlberg is the LifeCycle-Tower ONE (LCT ONE). This building is very special because it's designed to be good for the environment and save energy. It's eight floors tall and was built in 2012. It's the first building of its kind made from wood and other materials in a modular way.

The public library also has some interesting design features. For example, it has ceramic bricks that look like bookshelves! There's also a path that goes through the building, making it feel like a public space. The public swimming pool was updated in 2005 and has won awards for its design.

Dornbirn's Economy

The regional studio for the ORF (Austria's main broadcasting company) is located in Dornbirn.

Zumtobel Group is a big company based in Dornbirn. The city used to be a major center for the textile industry, but that business has become much smaller since the 1980s.

The Mohrenbrauerei August Huber is the oldest brewery in Vorarlberg. It's also the top brewery for restaurants and stores in the region.

Getting Around Dornbirn (Transport)

A view of Höchsterstraße in Schoren. The Dornbirn Schoren railway station is visible in the background on the right.

Dornbirn is right in the middle of the Rhine valley, making it an important hub for bus lines. These buses connect Dornbirn to Bregenz in the north, Feldkirch in the south, and the Bregenz Forest to the east. The A14 Rheintal motorway (a big highway) passes by the west side of the city. The Achrain tunnel, which opened in 2009, directly links Dornbirn with the Bregenz Forest area. The city also has its own network of local buses.

There are four train stations in Dornbirn: Dornbirn, Dornbirn-Schoren, Hatlerdorf, and Haselstauden. All of these are on the main Vorarlberg railway line. Dornbirn's main train station is an important stop for trains traveling between western and eastern Austria.

A small airport called Hohenems-Dornbirn Airfield is located nearby in Hohenems.

Learning in Dornbirn (Education)

University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg

Dornbirn has several important schools and colleges. These include the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, two general high schools, and a special technical high school (called Höhere Technische Lehranstalt).

The Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (also known as Fachhochschule Vorarlberg) started as a technology school in 1989. It became a recognized university in 1999. Today, students can earn bachelor's and master's degrees in subjects like Business, Engineering & Technology, Design, and Social Work.

Sports in Dornbirn

One of the most important sports teams in Dornbirn is the RHC Dornbirn. They are one of Austria's strongest Rink Hockey teams. In 2010, they even hosted the 2010 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship!

The Baseball & Softball Club Dornbirn was started in 1990. This club has won the Austrian national title twice! The BSC Dornbirn has teams for youth, two men's teams, and two women's teams.

Dornbirn also hosted a big gymnastics event called the World Gymnaestrada in both 2007 and 2019.

The Mohrenbrauerei (Mohren Brewery)

Glass of Mohrenbräu beer

The Mohrenbrauerei was founded in Dornbirn in 1834. This makes it the oldest brewery still operating in Vorarlberg!

Famous People from Dornbirn

• Joseph Anton Rhomberg (1786–1853) – A German painter and artist.
• Francis Martin Drexel (1792–1863) – A banker and artist from Philadelphia.
• Karl Aubert Salzmann (1876–1934) – A former president of the Federal Council of Austria.
• Margret Dünser (1926–1980) – A well-known journalist.
• Elfi Graf (born 1952) – A popular Schlager music singer.
• Eva Maria Waibel (born 1953) – A high school teacher and former politician.
• Tobias G. Natter (born 1961) – An Austrian art historian.
• Aaron Pilsan (born 1995) – A talented Austrian classical pianist.
• Reinold Geiger (born 1947) – An Austrian businessman.

Sports Stars

• Karl Cordin (born 1948) – A ski racer.
• Ingrid Eberle (born 1957) – A ski racer.
• Yvonne Meusburger Garamszegi (born 1983) – A professional tennis player.
• Eva Pinkelnig (born 1988) – A ski jumper.
• Tamira Paszek (born 1990) – A professional tennis player.
• Deniz Mujić (born 1990) – An Austrian footballer.

Dornbirn's Sister Cities

Dornbirn is connected to other cities around the world! These are its "sister cities":

• Dubuque, United States
• Kecskemét, Hungary
• Sélestat, France

Images for kids

• 

  Dornbirn, St.-Leopold-church

See also

In Spanish: Dornbirn para niños