Historical Roads Austria - Montafon Region: Via Valtellina

For thousands of years, paths have formed the basis of any exchange of culture and goods. Many of the historical paths have been preserved to this day, but are in danger of being lost due to overbuilding and environmental influences. The lack of knowledge and the resulting lack of targeted preservation of historical paths also play a major role. An Austria-wide initiative has set itself the task of documenting Austria's old paths and their extraordinary historical and cultural significance and making them available to society. One of 5 project regions of a first pilot phase is the Montafon in Vorarlberg. Here, on the one hand, it is possible to build on the good historical research and, on the other hand, on the results and methodological experiences in the projects for the inventory of historical walls Vorarlberg and in the pilot project on historical paths in Frastanz and Satteins. The project region is the Via Valtellina in the area of St. Gallenkirch between Gargellen and Galgenul. In coordination between the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences and the Montafon museums (Heimatschutzverein Montafon), this important historical traffic route and other routes related to it will be recorded and documented in the field. For centuries, large herds of cattle were driven south from the Montafon along this route, and on the way back, wine in particular was transported from the Valtellina to Vorarlberg. The high socio-economic importance of this route for the history of Montafon and Vorarlberg is proven by numerous historical sources. The course of the transport route, which was largely laid out as a mule track, is to be documented and processed. At the same time, the documentation is intended to evaluate and expand a methodology of digital recording, cartographic representation and documentation, as well as to develop forms of communicating historical transport links in the region that can also be applied to other historical routes. Special attention is given to their broad application, for example, in the future research of other historical crossing routes and the necessary recording criteria and interfaces of a digital Austria-wide inventory.