Station 1: Klarenbrunn spinning mill
The most remarkable industrial building in Bludenz is the Klarenbrunn spinning mill built in 1886, a special example of the English influence on Vorarlberg's industrial culture. The plant was designed by J. Felber & Co. from Manchester on behalf of the company Getzner, Mutter & Cie. The detailed planning was carried out by the master builder Ignaz Wolf from Bludenz.
The elongated brick building with a pillar structure is one of the most remarkable examples of historic factory buildings in Vorarlberg. According to architecture critic Friedrich Achleitner, it is a synthesis of old, multi-storey hall buildings and flat industrial sheds. Behind the factory, the company Getzner, Mutter & Cie. built a footbridge over the River Ill.
The construction of the factory was accompanied by the creation of living space for the workers. The Alt-Klarenbrunn factory was acquired for this purpose and converted into a residential building. This was the factory that had already been built in the Bludenzer Au in 1836. A small factory estate was built next to the new Klarenbrunn factory, which has been preserved to this day. The spinning mill building was taken over by Linz Textil GmbH in 1992. It was purchased by Christian Leidinger in 2017 and has since been given a completely new and forward-looking use.
Station 2: Innovation Center - Former Plangg and Pfluger watch factory
The watch factory in Klarenbrunnstrasse in Bludenz was founded in 1906. Since the end of the 19th century, high customs duties had been imposed on imports of finished watches from Switzerland in the monarchy. For this reason, a branch of the watch manufacturer Adolf Obrecht in Solothurn was established in Bludenz. The building was constructed by Swiss architect Otto Rudolf Stalder in the Heimatstil style. It provided space for up to 130 workers. The production of watches in Bludenz was carried out from 1924 by the company Plangg & Pfluger. Their internationally renowned pocket watches were sold under the "Montfort" brand. During the Second World War, the factory worked for the armaments industry. From 1945, watch production resumed, with up to 20,000 pocket watches and 10,000 wristwatches being produced annually until 1967. After bankruptcy, production was discontinued. In 1999, the building was acquired by the Prisma Group. Today, the former factory houses the Innovation Center.
Station 3: Brunnental: Suchard Areal
For almost 200 years, the Brunnental site in the so-called Kogenäule was used by various industrial companies. In 1820, the first industrial processing of cotton in the Walgau began in the Brunnental spinning mill. Over the course of the 19th century, the site was used for the production of paper and twine. It became particularly interesting after the opening of the nearby railroad station in 1872. After the opening of the Arlberg Railway, Bludenz became of interest to a Swiss company, the chocolate manufacturer Suchard. In 1888, its operations in Bludenz began as a second foreign branch. In 1890 Suchard bought the Brunnental factory. In 1901, the oldest and best-known brand product, "Milka alpine milk chocolate", was launched on the market and has been produced in Bludenz since 1907. From 1905, the company also had several residential buildings constructed in Suchardstrasse. The Suchard factory was considerably extended as early as 1912 with the addition of the wing with the turret along Fohrenburgstrasse, which is still clearly recognizable today. The more modern additions on the station side were built between 1968 and 2000. Originally a company with 15 employees, the number of Suchard employees grew to around 500 towards the end of the 20th century. The Suchard Lädele is particularly popular with visitors to Bludenz.
Station 4: Fohrenburg brewery
The economic upswing in connection with the construction of the Arlberg Railway encouraged the establishment of the Fohrenburg brewery in 1880. The driving force was Ferdinand Gassner, a partner in the company Getzner, Mutter und Cie, who founded the business with eleven partners. He had been looking for a suitable location for some time, as he had recognized the increasing demand for beer due to the new railroad lines. He finally found what he was looking for in the former Bad Fohrenburg inn - a former bathhouse. The newly built steam brewhouse and innovative refrigeration technology made Fohrenburg the most modern brewery in Vorarlberg when it opened. It also grew rapidly and was soon enlarged and equipped with a bottling plant in 1884. Refrigerated beer wagons made it possible to sell the beer even to more distant areas. In addition to a beer garden, the largest event hall in Bludenz was also built. In the 1920s, around 60 people were employed at the Fohrenburg brewery. In the years of the Great Depression after 1929, the textile company Getzner, Mutter und Cie. became the largest shareholder, which ensured that operations continued. After 1945, the brewery experienced an upswing that lasted until the 1990s. After a slump in business, it was taken over by the Rankweiler beverage group Rauch. Since then, the brewery has invested heavily, most recently in the new brewhouse in 2011.
The oldest building at the Fohrenburg brewery is the old carpenter's workshop. This was renovated in 2014 and offers space for beer tastings in the brewery bar, the brewery museum and the brewery store. Visits are possible by appointment.
Stadthaus 38
Although Stadthaus 38 in Werdenbergerstraße in Bludenz is not an industrial building, it plays a special role in the history of the town's industrialization. That is why the cultural route ends at this remarkable building. With its core dating back to the 14th century, this building has had an eventful history over the past centuries. In the 18th century, it housed the Kreuz inn. At the beginning of the 19th century, Christian Getzner offered a wide variety of goods in his continental store. Business was good - not least thanks to the clever help of the employed chief accountant Andreas Gassner. Together with business partner Franz Xaver Mutter, the founding contract for "Getzner, Mutter & Cie" (Cie stood for Compagnie) was signed in this building in August 1818. The company purchased the building in recent years and completely renovated it for the 200th anniversary of its founding. The building is one of the most remarkable structures in the old town of Bludenz and has been renovated several times. The portal framing is dated 1885 and adorns the carved portal.
© (c) Christof Thöny
© (c) Christof Thöny
© (c) Christof Thöny
