Lechfall round

Vils is located on the border with Bavaria (with the neighboring community Pfronten). The town is one of the smallest in Austria and the only one in the district. It is traversed by the Vils, which flows into the Lech just a little further downstream. Vils was granted town rights back in 1327 by King Ludwig IV. (German-Roman Emperor in 1328) according to the law of Kaufbeuren. Today, the center is characterized by wide houses with gabled roofs and facade paintings („Ackerbürgerstadt“). Until the 20th century, agriculture was the most important source of income. The Lords of Hohenegg, influential nobles in the Middle Ages, expanded Vilsegg Castle, which is now a ruin.

The Alatsee lies at an altitude of 842m and is six kilometers west of Füssen in the Ostallgäu. With its pleasant hiking trails around the lake, Alatsee is an ideal hiking destination for every nature lover. At its deepest point, the mountain lake is 35 meters deep. It lies about 80 meters north of the border with Austria and about 500 meters south of the lower Weißensee. Fed by groundwater, the lake's water flows via the Faulenbach through Obersee and Mittersee in the Faulenbacher valley into the Lech.

There are many legends and mysteries from long ago. One persistent rumor is about sunken treasures and gold. Locals from that time report large convoys of Wehrmacht vehicles fleeing the Allies heading up to Alatsee. During World War II, Alatsee was a military restricted area. Furthermore, there is said to be a narrow hole in the middle of the lake, where the lake narrows like an hourglass before widening again downwards. Old legends tell that Alatsee is immeasurably deep and harbors a monster. Another legend tells of three enchanted women who try to lure men (knights) into the depths of the lake to be freed. It is said that even today on some nights voices calling for help can be heard there. Above Alatsee, there is said to be a power field that extends along an energy line from Alatsee to a triangular meadow.

The Lechfall near Füssen
The geotope Lechfall near Füssen reveals a unique natural monument in the Bavarian Alpine region. Impressively, the water masses of the Lech, fed by the Alps, plunge twelve meters deep over five steps. Below the waterfall, the river narrows and enters the Lech Gorge, which the Lech has carved into the rock over thousands of years. The Lech Gorge is the only one in the entire Bavarian Alpine region through which a larger Alpine river can still flow freely and unhindered by human hands.