Alpabzug / Désalpe
Alpabfahrt / Désalpe
Appenzell and across the Alps · Alpine cantons · Switzerland
At the end of the Alpine summer the herds are brought down from the high pastures, and the descent is dressed: the lead cows wear flower and mirror headdresses, the herders wear their canton's costume, and the procession through the village is accompanied by bells audible from a considerable distance. Appenzell, the Toggenburg, Charmey in Fribourg and dozens of other places each hold their own.
No attendance figure applies.
The timing is the thing a visitor must understand: this is working transhumance, and the date depends on the grass and the weather at 1,800 metres. Villages announce a few weeks ahead and postpone for rain. Any calendar that prints a fixed date for an Alpabzug is printing a guess.
Charmey's désalpe, which MOLT lists separately in October, is one of the largest.
PlanningA seasonal window set by the weather and the grass, not by a date — each village announces a few weeks ahead.