Brand, visiting the past
If you enjoy winter sports, then you may have read my article about skiing in Brand in the Vorarlberg of Austria. Well, we loved the place so much that we were excited to go back and see what Brand had to offer in summer. I love the juxtaposition of winter and summer in Alpine villages with such contrasting atmosphere, pace of life and weather.
I mentioned in my winter article that my parents had been inspired to take the whole family to Brand for a summer holiday in the 1970s after watching the Oliver Reed film ‘Hannibal Brooks’, a WW2 film about a prisoner of war rescuing Lucy the Elephant and taking her to safety across the Alps. A large part of the film was shot on location in the Brandnertal valley.
Just a 15-minute drive from the town of Bludenz in the valley, Brand is situated at an elevation of 1,037 metres. It’s possibly one of the most beautiful villages in the Alps, featuring many well-preserved traditional alpine buildings alongside new constructions that either adhere to the classic style or introduce a modern flair.
Brand was originally settled by the Walliser people from Switzerland, who brought with them a charming architectural style. This includes the iconic Walliser small wooden shingles, which are a common sight throughout many towns and ski resorts in Vorarlberg. If you find yourself in Brand, be sure to wander the streets and admire these historic buildings in all their splendour.
For accommodation, we recommend the Valavier Aktivresort 4-star superior, a fantastic hotel run by the Meyer family supported by some outstanding staff. The rooms are very spacious, complete with day beds offering stunning mountain views and even your own infrared sauna. The hotel is ideally located in the centre of the village, providing easy access to the cable car, local shops, and bars.
The Valavier is part of the ‘Guest Card Premium’, which you receive for free if staying for 2 or more nights and gives access to many mountain lifts and use of all public transport in the Vorarlberg transport association. This even applies to the border stations in Germany, Tyrol and Switzerland.
Albeit a small Alpine village, Brand is stretched along a quiet 3km road which meanders its way along the Brandnertal valley past working farms gorgeous family abodes, in summer it feels like a local community rather than some tourist hotspot over riddled with global tourists; this is where one comes to experience true Austrian Alpine life. Summer time is when things slow down in the Alps; time to stop, time to gather one’s thoughts, time to gaze upon the beauty of the mountains in summer.
When my family visited in summer, we spent most of the time hiking the local mountains and visiting various mountain huts. I recognised some of the buildings, particularly those around the church, as true classics of the Vorarlberg region. It was a real pleasure to take a walk down memory lane, and whether it’s due to this personal historical connection or not, I feel that Brand is certainly a place where I would like to spend more time.
Brand, hiking the Brandnertal
A location that I really wanted to experience was a location from the ‘Hannibal Brooks’ film, Lake Lünersee and the cable car. We decided to walk from Brand all the way up to the Lünerseebahn, a beautiful walk that follows the Alvier river for most of the way. It can get steep and tricky at times, so there is also a local bus which goes from Brand up to the Lünerseebahn, which is free with the ‘Guest Card Premium’.
The Lünerseebahn goes up to Lünersee at 1970 metres, where there is a restaurant for your prescription of Kaiserschmarrn. This is a great location to start exploring high Alpine hikes, and one can also do a spot of fishing in the lake. The location of Lünersee is not to be missed, even just to see the lake and take in the views.
Brand, hiking Bürserberg
The local tourist board set us up with a local guide called Max, a lovely local who knows the area like the back of his hand. He drove us over to Bürserberg and a neighbouring village, popular with the Dutch in winter. From here, we started our hike into the mountains. The meadows around here have real character with lots of undulating dips and hollows dotted by fir trees, with clouds clinging to the trees, it had quite a mysterious atmosphere. Once the clouds cleared, the views over the city of Bludenz and the Klostertal valley towards the Arlberg and the border of the Tyrol were quite spectacular. One could even see the Breithorn mountain over towards Zug and Lech.
Next on our hike was a visit to the Neolithic stone circles on the Tschengla plateau. I had no idea that there were any standing stone circles in the Alps, so to see such prominent Neolithic stone circles under the beauty of the Vorarlberg mountains was breathtaking. Archaeologists date these stones between 5000 to 1900 BC, perhaps being constructed over thousands of years. There are many theories, but a common theory is that they are part of a huge calendar complex similar to many of the stone circles across Europe.
In true Alpine tradition, after some Alpine rambling, cheese is always required, so a visit to the Alpe Rona was on the cards. Perfectly located, Alpe Rona is surrounded by stunning Alpine scenery; the hut produces its own cheeses, milks and yoghurts, and be sure to visit the shop so you can take some of their produce home with you.
Brand, riding the Brandnertal
Another way to see the area is on horseback, something we totally fell in love with. There are several locations that provide guided riding through the local area. We were each given a Haflinger horse to ride, a sturdy breed of horse with beautiful chestnut colouring and flaxen mane and tail; bred to be strong and ready for Alpine trails, their gait is relaxed yet energetic, perfect for exploring the Brandnertal. There is something quite addictive about exploring the mountains on horseback, at times it feels like one has stepped into the pages of a J.R.R Tolkein novel.
I think that it is safe to say that Brand in the Brandnertal has certainly captured our hearts and our souls, winter and summer, which makes me wonder what it is like in Autumn? This is a little place on the planet that I see ourselves returning to time and time again, I wonder if they would notice if we never left next time we visit.
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