Armatin High Trail: Historical Background & General Information
The Galgentobel drains a 7.2 km² watershed and flows into the Ill near Bludenz. Following severe flooding in 1918, flood control measures began in 1919 to protect Bludenz and Nüziders.
Following a cold spell in December 1918, a thaw set in, accompanied by heavy precipitation, which led to high runoff and a significant amount of bedload. This flooding clearly revealed the potential danger to the towns of Bludenz and Nüziders. As a result, work began in 1919 on the stabilization of the Galgentobel. An initial, large-scale project to reinforce the stream was drawn up in 1920; a supplementary project from 1927 focused primarily on expanding the reinforcements in the Muttersbergtobel.
The Muttersberg and Mittewaldtobel, whose watersheds encompass the slopes and scree fields of the Elserspitzen and the Breithorn, are particularly affected by sediment transport. The total watershed of the Galgentobel covers an area of 7.2 km². The Rost and Mittewaldtobel merge below the Elserspitzen to form the Galgentobel and, at the Schwendeböden, incorporate the Muttersberg and Armatintobel. Below the confluence with the Muttersbergtobel, the stream enters a roughly 1-km-long, difficult-to-access rocky gorge, then flows through the 2-km-long alluvial fan, and finally empties into the Ill as the Galgentobel.
The Galgentobel, with its smaller and larger tributaries, thus drains the entire southern slope of the Hoher Fraß and the Elserspitzen. Today, the western part of the town of Bludenz and the eastern part of the village of Nüziders lie on the extensive debris cone of the Galgentobel. The ravine owes its rather unappealing name to a medieval execution site that was located east of the bridge on the Alte Landstraße between Bludenz and Nüziders.