Kleinwalsertal

Kleinwalsertal is a valley in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg and part of the Bregenz district. It includes the municipality of Mittelberg and consists of three villages along the River Breitach. Due to the geographic location in the Allgäu Alps with its alpine terrain, the Kleinwalsertal has no direct traffic connection to the rest of Vorarlberg. It is accessible only via Oberstdorf, Germany, to the north, and thus is an Austrian "practical exclave" or "pene-exclave".

The name of the valley derives from the Walsers who moved there from the Valais (German: Wallis) in the 13th century (see also "Großwalsertal").

The Kleinwalsertal is a high valley in the Allgäu Alps and is located in the east of Vorarlberg. The Breitach river runs through the entire valley and is fed by a few side streams, which come from the side valleys of the Kleinwalsertal.^{[citation needed]}

The Kleinwalsertal is almost completely surrounded by high mountains of the Allgäu Alps, which are part of the northern eastern Alps. Its highest elevation is the Großer Widderstein at 2,533 metres (8,310 ft). followed by Hoher Ifen 2,230 metres (7,320 ft), Kanzelwand 2,058 metres (6,752 ft), Walmendingerhorn 1,990 metres (6,530 ft), Fellhorn 2,038 metres (6,686 ft), Elfer and Zwölfer (Vorarlberg)

The Kleinwalsertal is cut off from the rest of Austria. A traffic connection exists only to the Bavarian town of Oberstdorf.^{[citation needed]}

Four geological units meet in Kleinwalsertal. The Helvetic with the karstified Schrattenkalk (Ifen, Gottesackerplateau), the Rhenodanubian or Vorarlberg Flysch (Walmendingerhorn, Heuberg, Güntlispitze, Fellhorn) and the rugged rocks of the Eastern Alps (Northern Limestone Alps) made of main dolomite (the Walser Kerle: Widderstein, Elfer, Schafalpköpfe, Kanzelwand). The Arosa zone forms a narrow, patchy belt between the Flysch and the Eastern Alps. It contains the greatest variety of rocks and stretches from the Üntschenjoch, along the Bärenkopf across the Gemstel and Wildental valleys to below the Kanzelwand. Lias rocks on the Elfer and rocks of the Ultrahelvetic mélange in the Mittelalp area can also be found in Kleinwalsertal.

The main European watershed between the Rhine/North Sea and the Danube/Black Sea runs across the Gottesacker plateau and the Hohe Ifen to the Gerachsattel and on to the Hochalp Pass near the Widderstein.

Drinking water originates from five main springs of the valley, namely Kaltes Bächle ("Chalta Bächle") in Mittelberg, Humbachquelle, Walmendingerquellen, Quelle Sattelalp and Quelle Lüchle. As of 2021, the water quality was excellent.