Elbigenalp

Altitude: 1,039 m a.s.l.

Several hamlets form the municipal area of Elbigenalp, located between the Lechtal Alps and the Allgäu Alps. Its name derives from the term "elmige Alpe", which refers to a meadow that is overgrown with green elm trees. The inhabitants, however, call Elbigenalp simply "s'Duarf" (the village). Once upon a time, it was the preferred holiday resort of the queen mother Marie of Bavaria. And in the Seventies, the story of success of one of the most important DVD pressing plants of Europe, kdg mediatech (former Koch Records), has begun right here.

Like in the entire Lechtal valley, also at Elbigenalp there are several buildings characterized by beautiful frescoes. One of them, located in the component locality of Köglen, shows the rebellion ot the Appenzeller 1402-1408 AD. Moreover, this village is home-town of the painter Anna Stainer-Knittel, the "Geierwally", who has become famous due to a few movies and novels. Anna Stainer-Knittel, as a 17-year old girl, bird-nested an aerie, a dangerous undertaking that was normally only carried out by men. Still today, her home can be visited in the hamlet of Untergiblen no. 4.

To the honour of the "Geierwally", since 1993 there has been a theatre festival held in summer in the Bernhard Gorge, where a stage was erected right under a rock face. This setting and fabulous light effects create an unforgettable experience. In winter, in the valley there is the Jöchelspitze Skiing Area, and the village itself offers the Knittel Tirol Lift. If you prefer tobogganing, you can do so on the Wally Blitz, a toboggan run on rails, and on the winter toboggan run Gibler Alm.