On the tracks of the Walsers
Tradition & History
Living Walser culture in Davos Klosters
Around 700 years ago, families from the Valais left their homeland. They migrated across the Alps. Many settled in what is now Graubünden - and became Walsers. Today, their culture and customs still shape the destination of Davos Klosters.
Was it due to overpopulation or natural disasters? There is no evidence as to why Valais mountain farmers climbed over the passes in the 13th century to settle in inhospitable mountain regions. What is clear, however, is that it is largely thanks to the hard-working Walser settlers that large parts of Graubünden were made arable in the late Middle Ages. No wonder: with their forest clearances, alpine farming and typical scattered settlements, they shaped the landscape. The sovereigns called them Walser and gave them special freedoms. This made them free and independent compared to other population groups. This was also evident in the construction of settlements.
Typical building style of the Walser
Thus the farm with its dwelling house and stable is the centre of the "Heimet", the agricultural unit. In Davos and in Prättigau, the pure wooden house made of a log or squared timber cord dominates. Also reminiscent of the immigration period are the wooden storehouses built on stilts or wooden legs, which protected supplies from damp and mice. Beautiful and ancient "Spiicher" stand in Davos Monstein, Wiesen and in Klosters Monbiel and in Schlappin. Today they are a popular postcard motif.
A special dialect: Walser German
Even today, the language reveals that you are in a Walser area in Davos Klosters. A typical feature is that "sch" is pronounced for "s". For example, in Walser German it is "Willkomma bi ünsch", which means "Welcome to our home". Also typical is the omission of the article before personal names: "Peegg hed Dreeschi ä Chuä gschäicht", which translates as "Peter has given Andreas a cow".
Traditional Walser cuisine: milk, butter, cheese or dried meat
In addition to the language, the cuisine is also typical of the Walser people: in the past, what they could produce themselves was put on the plate. They preserved meat and milk for the long winter months. They made butter, cheese and Ziger from milk. Furthermore, they dried the meat in the mountain air to make dried meat. Incidentally, the Bündnerfleisch we know today is a speciality that goes back to this tradition of drying meat. If you want to follow in the footsteps of the Walsers, you should definitely visit the Nutli Hüschli museum of local history in Klosters or hike a few stages on the Walser Trail Graubünden.
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