Bezau is the central village in the Bregenzerwald, a Vorarlberg valley with a timber building tradition that has produced some of Austria’s most significant contemporary architecture. The Werkraum Bregenzerwald, designed by Peter Zumthor and completed in 2013, functions as a craft exhibition and retail space for Bregenzerwald artisans. The valley’s cheese culture is equally serious, with the Käsestrasse network of dairies connecting producers across the landscape. Bezau’s hotels are well-maintained and the village has a design-aware character rare in alpine settings. About 30 minutes from Bregenz by car; accessible seasonally by the narrow-gauge Wälderbähnle railway.
village
Bezau
The Werkraum Bregenzerwald in Bezau is one of the most quietly radical buildings in Austria: a 2013 structure by Peter Zumthor, the Swiss architect known for his Therme Vals and the Bruder Klaus chapel, built to exhibit and sell the handcraft products of the Bregenzerwald artisan community.