Schnepfau

In Au, lying flat immediately at the foot of the steep Kanisfluh, is Schnepfau (734 m; 350 inhabitants), belonging to the same municipality as the neighboring Hirschau. Opposite the Kanisfluh rise the less steep slopes of the Hirschberg. A road winds from Schnepfau via the Schnepfegg (an old transition to Bizau) at an altitude of 1500 m. The Hirschberg and the Gopfberg (above Mellau) are the hiking areas for Schnepfau; the Kanisfluh cannot be climbed from here. On the Schnepfegg stands a beautiful 17th-century chapel. The Hirschau chapel, built in 1671, features a beautiful Renaissance altar.
After passing the strait between the Kanisfluh and the Mittagsfluh, there is a small Au (a picturesque valley basin) with the village of Au (791 m; 1600 inhabitants). The Mittagsfluh has a spur towards the banks of the Bregenzer Ache. At the foot of this steep wall stands the church, originally built around the end of the 15th century and rebuilt several times in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although Au was the supplier of a series of prominent architects from the Baroque period, the village itself has no evidence recalling this golden age.
Au is a wonderful tourist resort, both for summer accommodations and winter sports. For mountain walks, the village is a suitable starting point.
The Kanisfluh shows us its friendly face of rolling and grassy slopes from this side. It is therefore easy to climb from Au. The Mittagsfluh on the other side of the valley is the second hiking area. Many beautiful Vorsasse are scattered along the trails. Then there is also a chairlift between Au and Schoppernau up to the Diedamskopf. And finally, there is the Zitterklapfen, which rises to the south of Au.
Through the valley of the Argenbach, which flows at Au, a good very winding road leads to the deep gorge up to the mountain village of Damüls.

janssem