Schattwald
Schattwald with its hamlets and farms is the last village in the Tannheimer valley.
Altitude: 1,072 m asl
Kappl, Wies, Fricken, Steig, Vilsrain and Rehbach form the municipality of Schattwald in the rear Tannheimer valley, considered to be the most beautiful high mountain valley of Europe. Behind the village the trail to the 1,136 m high Oberjoch starts, taking to Germany and representing the border. Schattwald, which has already been a transition area in the Roman Age, was a popular hunting area and in 1432 AD it has been mentioned for the first time. Today the village offers a generating station that supplies the valley with power. The emblem of the municipality shows 15 stylised conifers, literally representing the name of the village, meaning “shadow” and “forest”.
The Tannheimer valley is a popular Austrian hiking area, attractive routes for hiking and climbing take you to the highest mountains. One of the most popular destinations is the local mountain of Schattwald, which is the 1,907 m high Wannenjoch in the Allgäu Alps, offering a great view on the entire valley. Real Tyrolean atmosphere is offered at one of the 30 mountain huts spread all over this area, offering real Tyrolean afternoon snacks with bacon and black bread. And Schattwald offers three challenging running and Nordic Walking courses. If you prefer pleasant promenades, we recommend you to walk to the Kreuzkapelle chapel or the parish church, both worth to be visited. The Kreuzkapelle chapel is located in the village of Reinbach and dates back to the year 1838. Even if it is in private hands, it can be visited daily. Moreover a pilgrimage to this chapel promises alleviation of headache suffering. The St. Wolfgang parish church, however, has been mentioned for the first time around 1500 and has been recently renovated. Particularly interesting is the “dance of the death” that is illustrated on 12 panels.
Together with Zöblen, Schattwald offers the Schattwald-Wannenjoch skiing area with 15 km of ski slopes of all levels of difficulties, including 5 ski lifts. At the mountain station the children’s playground “Michl-Land” provides entertainment for your kids. Moreover the ski school of Schattwald is the oldest one in the valley. Cross-country skiers can look forward to 140 km of trails leading across the entire valley, that are also connected to the trail network of the Allgäu. Also winter hiking is a particularly popular activity in the valley, perfect for coming to rest and inhaling the surroundings…
Our recommendation: the moor pong “Floschen” is a popular hiking destination and swimming in this lake is believed to alleviate slight pains!
