Blons

Blons is a municipality in the Great Walser Valley in Vorarlberg Austria in the district of Bludenz with 327 inhabitants (December 31, 2013).

• 3.1 Demographics

Geography

Blons is located in the westernmost province of Austria, Vorarlberg, the district of Bludenz to 903 meters. 40.0 % of the area is forested and 35.6 % of the area mountainous. There are no other local villages in Blons.

History

The first settlement was made in the 11th or in the 12th century by Romansh. In the 14th century German -speaking Walser supplanted the Roman population. The ruling Habsburgs ruled the areas in Vorarlberg changing of Tyrol and Further Austria from ( Freiburg im Breisgau). From 1805 to 1814, the town belonged to Bavaria, then back to Austria.

For the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Blons heard since its founding in 1861. The place was from 1945 to 1955 part of the French zone of occupation in Austria.

Avalanche winter of 1954

Between 10 and January 12, 1954 in Blons went from a total of 13 avalanches that claimed the lives of 57 people. A monument of Eugene Jussel bears witness to this. The victims were buried in a common grave at the cemetery.

• See also: avalanche disaster of 1954 in Vorarlberg

Earlier devastating avalanches went down in Blons in the years 1497, 1689, 1717, 1806, 1808 and 1853.

Population

Demographics

The proportion of foreigners at the end of 2002 was 5.2 percent.

Policy

The municipal council consists of nine members. The choice was not made by lists, but by a majority vote. Mayor Stefan Bachmann. The municipality revenue from taxes and other charges in 2001 were at € 332,854, the municipal expenditure at € 762,581. The debt was 2001 639.390 €.

Culture and sights

• Parish Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. The church was built in 1684 and consecrated in 1697 with the cemetery. The altar dates from the 18th century and was probably created by the family of artists widower from Imst.
• Avalanche documentation center for avalanche disaster in Blons
• Puppet Museum - toys and children's books from 1860-1960

Economy and infrastructure

At the site there were in 2003 three companies in the industrial sector with seven employees and two apprentices. Taxable wage -employed, there were 153 Blons has a fiber optic network that opens up about 40 households with FTTH. In Blons there is a kindergarten and a school with (as of January 2003), 179 pupils.

Personalities

• Martin Lorenz (1748-1828), ennobled Imperial State Council for Church and teaching interests, Rector of the University of Vienna and author of the Austrian school reform from 1804
• Johann Müller (1868-1949), priest and ski pioneer on Tannberg, director of the charity institution Valduna (1903-1938)