The Stuiben Falls in Literature

In 1856, the "Handbuch für Reisende" (Manual for Travelers) reports almost rapturously about the Stuiben Falls (Handbuch für Reisende im Algäu, Lechthal und Bregenzerwald): "From far away there is a muffled roar, at first soft, then more audible, and after an hour's hike one reaches the wild gorge through which the Archbach, flowing out of the Plansee, plunges in four steps with a thunderous roar into the depths ... The waterfall of the Stuiben, - most beautiful when the sun is setting, when the swirling water dust shines in the most brilliant colors, - may well be placed alongside the most famous falls in the Tyrolean and Swiss Alps. "

With the construction of the Hermannsteig - so named after Friedrich Carl Hermann, the owner of the textile factory, who led the company from 1855 until his death in 1872 - the connection to the Plansee came about, and especially the viewing platform to the large Stuibenfall is still an attraction today.

A new phase began for the Stuiben Falls in 1901 with the establishment of the Reutte Electricity Works. Since only a prescribed residual amount of water flows over the Stuiben Falls, the spectacle of the full surge of water can only be experienced at snowmelt or high water. In the course of a further expansion of the power station, the Minister's Walk was built.

On August 29, 1925, the Federal Minister of Trade and Transport, Dr. Hans Schürff, visited the construction measures at Plansee. The path leading to the Plansee on the orographic right side of the Stuibenfall still bears the name "Ministersteig" for this occasion.

Today it is a tourist attraction. However, it was not originally built for this purpose, but served as the shortest connection between the power plant and the barrage at Plansee. Today, the Stuiben Falls are not only a tourist attraction, but they are a popular recreational area for the locals. © Dr. Richard Lipp