Where to see the cows come down the alp?

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 August 2015 at 11:49:09 #807823

    I am planning a trip to Switzerland in 2016. I am interested in activities centered around the cows returning from the alp? Where do you recommend and when does it happen?

    Thanks.

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    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    26 August 2015 at 0:40:12 #845729

    Hi Rebecca _

    <<“cows returning from the alp? Where do you recommend and when does it happen?”>>

    The world “alp” should be in the plural…”alps.”

    Many places on different days in the Fall.

    I’ve seen them above Buochs and Emmeten, in Beckenreid, in Schwyz…..just because I happened to be there on the day that the farmers decided to bring them down. That date is set by the farmers, and varies by geography ( temperature/climate.)

    (By the way, some travel by helicopter…)

    I’ll see if I can find more specific information …but not for a few days. Have some traveling to do, my self.

    I am sure there is a whole lot of stuff on the internet, and if I could remember the German word for the processions, I’d suggest that you search for that term.

    Probably, some one else will rescue me. ;-(

    Slowpoke.

    kim11
    Participant
    604 posts
    26 August 2015 at 4:02:20 #845730

    Slowpoke is right, in most areas it is entirely dependent on the weather. If sleet and snow show up early they bring the cows, goats, and sheep down right away. Otherwise they wait as long as they can so the animals can continue grazing on grasses up high rather than hay down in the valleys.

    That said, there are some regions that proclaim dates in advance. See here http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/service-updates/events.html? strubrik=2312

    The coming down of the animals is called Alpabzug. Loosely translated it means “pulling away from the Alps”. Most people think Alps means mountain tops. In fact it means hanging meadows where animals can graze.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    27 August 2015 at 23:34:12 #845731

    Thanks for the rescue.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    29 August 2015 at 22:19:04 #845732

    Rebecca –

    Once Kim improved my German, I did a Google search on Alpabzug “travelling away from” and also Alpaufzug, “travelling up to or up onto” the alp or alps.

    Both produced many hits, both for going up in the Spring or coming down in the Fall.

    Get out your map and look at some of those Google hits, such as

    search.yahoo.com/yhs/s earch?p=alpabzug+appenzell&e i=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp =yhs-001

    I like this map, but there are many…

    map.classic.search.ch/

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    31 August 2015 at 11:52:20 #845733

    Thanks for all your help. I very much appreciate it.

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