D Häärdställi vo dä Walser

"My grandfather bought this meadow with the Häärdställi from the Safiers many years ago. Some parcels of land here on the Glaspass used to belong to the Walser farmers from the Safien Valley. In summer, they have stored the hay in the Häärdställi. In winter, when the hay was needed, it was dangerously transported by a horn sledge from Innerglas to Safien Platz down to the cattle shed. Today, the yields can be transported over long distances and thus stored centrally. Our Häärdställi has therefore not been in use for 40 years." Daniel Caflisch, owner of Häärdställis

The typical scattered settlements of the Walser are still recognizable in the landscape today. In the village level, the farm, which was inhabited all year round at the time, still stands today, with a residential house, stable barn, small cattle stable, bakehouse, granary and other outdoor stables, also known as "Häärdställi", which are often empty today unused.

The alpine buildings used in summer are between 1800 and 2000 metres. These included the dairy, the bedroom and the stable barn. Among the Walsers, each family maintained its own dairy. The cheese was produced in the front part of the dairy, while the milk was stored in the back. The bedroom served as a bedroom and lounge and the cows were housed in the barn during the night. Characteristic was the decentralised storage of hay in the outdoor stables. The hay could not be transported over long distances in the steep terrain, so barns were built near the hay harvest.

In winter, the hay was then transported to the cattle on sleds or the cattle were driven from barn to barn until the hay was used up. Today, the hay can be transported over longer distances with machines and stored centrally. The outdoor stables thus lose their function and are no longer maintained.

Safier Stables and Shingle Workshop Association
The Safier Ställe association is committed to the preservation of this traditional cultural landscape. In order to protect the buildings from decay, roofs in need of renovation are being re-roofed with the traditional wooden shingles. For the production of shingles, a shingle workshop was founded in Safien. The old craftsmanship is thus preserved and the new roofs can be covered with locally produced shingles made of local wood. In a further step, new uses for the stables will be developed so that they will continue to exist.

www.safierstaelle.ch