Tourism In Schruns

Schruns saw its first vacationers arrive in 1870, which marked the beginning of the town’s development as a tourism destination. Founded in 1898, the traffic and beautification group took over from then on the marketing of this new line of business.There were first hotels and many appealing inns built gradually.

Today the Schruns area boasts 200 kilometers of groomed slopes, 62 lifts and cable cars in Schruns-Tschagguns and the surrounding area, and ski resorts with elevations ranging from 700 to 2400 meters.

With 222,318 in the winter and 140,570 in the summer, the tourism year 2001/02 had 362,888 overnight stays for a ratio of 61.3% to 38.7%.Commercial beds accounted for 50.9%; private beds for 45.2%; and others for 3.9%.Schruns boasted 2,921 summer beds and 2,922 winter beds in 2001/02.

But in the 2017/18 travel season, Schruns had 311,707 overnight stays—192,085 in winter and 119,622 in summer—for a ratio of 61.6% to 38.4%.Commercial beds accounted for 57.8%; private beds for 36.6%; and others for 5.6%.For 2017/18 Schruns had 3,061 summer beds and 3,101 winter beds.

The ratio of winter to summer stayed rather constant at 62% to 38%, while the percentage of private beds dropped significantly from 45% to 37%.Commercial beds rise from 50.9% to 57.8% and virtually balance this loss.

• Kapell: Derived from “Kapellalpe,” the Silvretta Montafon old Hochjoch, also known as Kapell, is a well-known skiing and hiking destination in the Montafon region. It is located on municipal territory.First ideas to build a railway to the Schrunser Kapell originated in 1913.Along with the alpine writer Walther Flaig, Josef Thöni and Albert Zudrell, who lived in Schruns, suggested building a cable car linking Schruns to the Kreuzjoch peak, which stands at 2395 meters, in autumn of 1945.The year 1948 saw the founding of Montafoner Bergbahn GmbH.The second segment (Kropfen-Kapellalpe) opened in 1951 after the “Four Seasons Railway” on the Kapell closed in 1950.The original chairlift used to get people to the church was replaced in 1966 with a gondola lift.The Grasjoch area has seen development since 1980, including the Kapellbahn from Silbertal and extra chances for climbing with the Zamangbahn (finished in 1981) from Schruns.The Silvretta Montafon ski area became the biggest in Vorarlberg in 2011. Two well-known ski lift companies merged to enable this achievement: Montafoner Hochjochbahnen GmbH from Schruns and Silvretta Nova Bergbahnen GmbH from St. Gallenkirch.
• Former Montafon health resort: In 1950 Montafon physician Dr. Edwin Albrich founded the Montafon health resort. The resort is close to Schruns, more precisely on the lovely Litz waterfront.Beginning his career at the “Maria Rast” hospital in Schruns, he first discovered the healing benefits of the high mountain environment when coupled with outdoor pursuits.Along with a technique known as “electrotherapy,” there were water, heat, and bath treatments among other therapies accessible.Schruns had a shortage of hotels at that period, which could be related to their occupation by the French or poor quality. As so, the building of the spa hotel started in 1951.Many well-known politicians, celebrities, and crowned heads arrived and left in the next years.Present at the occasion were former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Herbert von Karajan.Alpstein rebuilt the spa hotel in autumn 2016 with a chalet complex instead.
• Hotel Löwen and Haus des Gastes: 1974 saw the founding of the community-owned “Haus des Gastes” and the Löwen Hotel.Following a disastrous fire on February 23, 1978, the hotel was rebuilt and reopened later that same year.Following a vote in 2017, the “Haus des Gast” was formally sold to the Liebherr Group, which runs the Hotel Löwen.The hotel intends to grow by including a seminar venue.
• Former gold key races : Schruns became rather well-known nationally and internationally as a winter sports destination between 1963 and 1983.