Cooler
The Küher were between 1550 and about 1900 a unit group of alpine farming in Switzerland with nomadic lifestyle. They were particularly widespread in the Napf region and in the western foothills of the Alps with the Emmental in Bern as the center. Also lived in the Gruyère region and the neighboring Pays-d'Enhaut , the cows' being came from there in the 18th century through emigrated cows to the Vaud and Neuchâtel Jura . In the French-speaking world , a cow was called a vacher .
development
The roots of the cows' business are partly in manorial dairy farms (the Schweighöfen ), partly in the cooperative or private alpine farming of the local valley farmers. When alpine cheese dairy began to pay off in the 16th century with the conversion to the export-oriented production of fat cheese , the value of the increasingly cultivated cows increased. In contrast to the corporate alps in the Alpine region, the private alps in the Emmental , Gruyère and Pays-d'Enhaut were for sale via alpine rights . The patriciate of the cities of Bern and Friborg acquired such Alps as an investment from the 16th century, so that, for example, in the Schangnau / Röthenbach area in the 18th century, three quarters of all alpine rights belonged to Bernese patricians.
The milk processing specialists required for the alpine operation, the cows, were recruited from local farmer sons who were bought out in cash after the youngest brother ( Minorat ) took over the father's farm . The cows, although without their own alp or valley farm, but nevertheless well off, became the tenant of the herd of cows and the alp in the 17th century . He sold the dairy products on his own account and paid the patrician interest on the rent and the winter quarters in his valley courtyard.
Way of life
In the 18th century, the safe supply of alpine property motivated the cows to become owners of the cattle herd and - in contrast to the employed herdsman - to become fully entrepreneurs. During the alpine season from May to Michel's day (September 29), at Saint-Denis (October 9) or on St. Gallus day (October 16), they leased a “Herrenalp”, more rarely a private or cooperative “Bauernalp”. For the winter months they looked for accommodation in the valley for themselves and their herds of 40 to 100 cows. Many farms in the Mittelland were equipped with “Küherstuben” or “ Küherstöckli ” as well as with additional stables . The cows paid in cash and in kind ( butter , cheese , calves ) for accommodation, food, firewood and hay . The increasing demand for hay accelerated the conversion from grain to grass growing in the valley. In winter, cows with large herds were forced to move frequently or to divide the herd to different farms. Courtyards near the city were preferred winter quarters, as dairy products could be marketed in the city.
Leiheverträge to Alps for one or more seasons govern the use and Alpunterhalt ( Schwenden , cleaning, fertilizing, mowing , fences) through the Küher and his assistants, and also the maintenance work on Alpine buildings (cottage, stable, memory), the dairy device (cheese kettle, loader, press, etc.), on well troughs and water pipes. The rent in cash was calculated based on the number of cow rights and the creditworthiness of the Alp, as well as the cheese prices of the previous year. In addition, there were benefits in kind (cheese, butter, Ziger ) to the alpine owner. The cheese milk ( Schotte ) belonged to the cow for the pig fattening .
High flowering and decline
The 18th century was the heyday of the cow industry. Well established between the valley and the alpine region, apart from years of slumped cheese prices, it was the most profitable branch of agriculture and profitable for all four members of the system - cows, alpine owners, valley farmers, cheese traders. With cheese prices rising, the rent climbed by almost two and a half times. The business was risky and could wreak havoc or ruin for the cowboy. The rich folklore of Küherstandes belonged Alpaufzug , swing , alphorn and Kuhreihen .
In the 1830s, the cattle industry began to decline rapidly, when the cheaper talc dairies robbed the cows of their existence. The cows became valley cheese makers, arable farmers or cattle breeders in the valley or on year-round alpine farms. The conversion was completed at the end of the 19th century.
literature
- Rudolf Ramseyer: The old Bernese cow being . Paul Haupt Publishing House, Bern 1961.
- Fritz Häusler: The Emmental in the State of Bern until 1798 . Stämpfli-Verlag, Bern 1968, p. 76-88 .
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