2005 European floods river, road and railway, and the river expanded to fill the entire gorge. This stranded thousands of tourists in the village, and the only way out was by helicopter or by crossing one of the high Alpine passes. The Tyrol and Vorarlberg states of Austria saw many areas cut off by flooded roads. The lower part of the Rhine overflowed, affecting the Swiss Graubünden Canton, as well as parts of Vorarlberg. The river Danube and its tributaries overflowed in many places, flooding parts of Germany, Bavaria in particular. Several floodings and landslides were reported in Lower Austria and Styria. The
Au, Vorarlberg Au, Vorarlberg Au is a town in the Bregenz Forest in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, part of the district of Bregenz. The town belongs to the Bregenz Forest, more exactly to the "Hintere Bregenzerwald". Forty percent of its 45 km² area is covered with forest, 34.4% of the area is used as alpine pasture ("Almwirtschaft") and for other forms of alpine agriculture. The town itself is unlike others in the area, as it has no real centre. It consists of several districts, which are (in no particular order): Argenau, Wieden, Lugen, Lebernau, Rehmen, Schrecken, Kreuzgasse, Jaghausen, Am Stein, Argenstein,