TheGroßes Walsertal (German:Großes Walsertal, Großwalsertal) is a valley located in theAustrian state ofVorarlberg. It is a side valley of theWalgau and stretches from there north to the mountainous center of the country. The end of the valley borders on theBregenz Forest.

Großes Walsertal
View south-westward from the foot ofBlasenka over theSeewaldsee, the only lake of the valley, strangely on the ridge, and the lower Großwalsertal
Großes Walsertal Vorarlberg,Austria
Length	25
Geology
Type	V-shaped valley
Geography
Coordinates	47°14′29″N9°56′22″E / 47.24139°N 9.93944°E /47.24139; 9.93944
Rivers	Lutz

The name of the valley derives from theWalsers who moved there from theValais (German:Wallis) in the 13th century (see also "Kleinwalsertal").^[1]

The valleyGroßes Walsertal is located in the northernLimestone Alps between the subgroups of theBregenz Forest mountain range (in the north) and theLechquellen Mountains (in the south and east).

TheLutz river flows through the approximately 25 km long alpine saw-cut valley. Especially the north, which still belongs to the flysch-zone, shows the typical small-round and round-capped tributaries and secondary valleys.

The municipalities are almost all situated on the Sonn-hillside, the north side of the valley.

From the beginning of the valley, the communities are:

• Thüringerberg
• Sankt Gerold
• Blons
• Fontanella
• Sonntag
• The Sonntager part of Buchboden is also located north of the river, the municipality covers the whole valley end.

South of Lutz lies:

• Raggal

The well-developed streetFaschina (formerly Bundesstraße 193, now L 193) leads through the valley on a western slope. At theFaschina Pass at 1485 meters above sea level, the street leaves the valley and descends viaDamüls toAu in theBregenz Forest.

The Schadonapass at the end of the valley (Biberacher hut) leads to the Hinterwald near Rehmen (municipality of Au) via a hiking-trail.^[2]

Since 2004, the cultural festivalWalserherbst has been held every two years.^[3] For three weeks, the festival offers contemporary art and culture experiences in the middle of the Großwalsertal. The program includes literature, film, music, theater, exhibitions and workshops. The self-image of the festival is characterised by "openness to new ideas through the joy of meeting people". This description was chosen because cultural exchange has always been a defining component of theWalser ethnic group living there who immigrated from Valais some centuries ago.

The Great Walser Valley and its mountaineering villages are part of theAustrian Alpine Club's initiative to promotesustainable tourism.^[4]

The municipalities of the Great Walser Valley have joined together to form theBiosphere Park Großes Walsertal,^[5] Vorarlberg's firstnature park, which is a biosphere reserve awarded byUNESCO. In abiosphere park, man and nature are to interact and complement each other positively. On November 10, 2000, the region was included in the list of the global model regions for sustainable living and farming.^[6][7]

Acceptance among the population, as requested by UNESCO in the context ofLocal Agenda 21 for biosphere parks, is excellent. The project has also won numerous awards, including the 2002European Village Renewal Award, the 2009 EDEN Award (European Destinations of Excellence) and the 2010 European Energy Award in silver.^[8]

• Homepage of the Biosphere Park Großes Walsertal
• Valley
• Website Great Walser Valley
• Großes Walsertal, unesco.org →Biosphere Reserve Information