[Translate to en:] Alpenrose Pur Natur
The Story of the Place
Elbigenalp is the oldest settlement of Lech Valley.

Elbigenalp is the oldest settlement of the Lech Valley. It is believed that this town was settled by the monks of St. Mang Monastery in the 9th century. This cannot be demonstrated though, and the first documentary evidence was found in Elbigenalp in 1488. Probably this place was cleared and settled many years earlier because the Rectory of Lechtal (Lech Valley) – whose centre was Elbigenalp – has been mentioned for the first time in a document of 1312.

Elbigenalp came under the Court of Justice of Ehrenberg and formed - as prosecution authority of the Middle Lech Valley – a political unit.

The economy of this territory was characterised first of all by agriculture, but most of the farmers could hardly survive on that because of the Tyrolean estate division (of real property).

For this reason in the 17th century a big part of the population migrated to Swabia to seek work. This movement generated the so called Swabian Children and the guild seated in Bichlbach. On of the most famous inhabitant of Elbigenalp founded in the19th century a drawing school in the community. It was later changed in a stucco institute and in 1951 finally became a carving school.

Impressions