Neighbouring Feldkrich

This weekend was our first real opportunity to venture into Feldkirch as tourists. There aren’t many urban areas around our new home but we were pleased to discover that Feldkirch is a very walkable city center with enough restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and specialty stores to add some much needed variety to our everyday lives. It also retains much of its middle ages charm with cobbled streets, timber buildings clad in ostensibly painted stucco, multiple churches with bells chiming the hours, a broad market area in the city center that is free of vehicular traffic and the old castle perched on a hilltop overlooking the scene.

We started the day with a tour of the old castle.

While not a world class museum by any stretch the interior of the castle does maintain an interesting collection of religious and secular artefacts dating back to the early middle ages along with what appear to be original frescoes throughout. You can also tell that the castle has been through a number of renovations and upgrades over the centuries by the way rooms and hallways occasionally connect at odd ends and changing levels as you meander through the serpentine museum path. 

Not a Fresco!

The top few floors of the castle are devoted to the armoury museum (included in the tour) with pieces spanning its 800 year history as a defensive bastion against invading French and Germanic forces from the north. In fact, Napoleon once sent Messena and his army into the region to defend against 2nd Coalition forces looking to dislodge the French from Austrian and Italian strongholds.    

After touring the castle we walked the streets of the old town for a bit until hunger and the weather overtook us. Bascilico Pizzaria passed the 4 yo taste test BTW, despite the apparent displeasure of getting her picture taken.

Also not a fresco

By the time we finished up lunch it was time to head back home so the little one could get her nap in but we will certainly be spending more time in Feldkirch over the next 3 years!