Till the cows come home
Each autumn, as summer fades and the first frost appears on the mountain slopes of Graubünden, Switzerland’s largest canton where Romansh, German, and Italian intermingle to celebrate Alpabzug. It is a cattle drive, but also salutes the bond between people and the mountains. Herdsmen across Switzerland lead their cattle for an extraordinary homecoming or the Alpabzug. Donning embroidered waistcoats, wide-brimmed hats, and sturdy leather boots, they descend from the high alpine pastures to the valleys below with cows, goats, and sheep decked in flower garlands. But this alpine transhumance, is more than an annual migration.
The animals’ bells, heavy and gleaming, resound like an orchestra that has come alive through mountain gorges and cobbled village streets. Communities erupt in celebration. It’s both a thanksgiving and a spectacle: music, yodelling, alphorns, cheese tastings, funfairs, and feasting.
It’s not just the farmers and herdsmen who enjoy the feast. Every summer, around 400,000 cattle and 200,000 sheep and goats graze on high alpine meadows. Recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, the practice keeps lowland fields fertile and yields rich milk for seasonal cheeses.
Flower crowns or tschäppl are the most enchanting sight of the festival. But they aren’t easy to earn—only animals that gave the most milk or led the herd faithfully—adorn the prestigious “queens of the pasture” crown. Crafted from sunflowers, dahlias, and interspersed with twigs and paper blooms, their crowns are elaborate but light enough to carry. “The return was once marked simply with prayers of thanks for a safe season. Over centuries, it evolved into a festive homecoming celebrated between mid-August and mid-September,” says Fabiola Blumenthal, owner of the Graubünden’s Berghaus Bargis inn.
Historically a rural canton, and still Switzerland’s least densely populated canton, it remains defined by remote valleys, alpine traditions, and a way of life closely tied to the land.
Among Switzerland’s many annual descents, the Flimserstein–Bargis event, is one of the most atmospheric one. In the wee hours of the morning, about 200 cows and calves, decorated with garlands and ribbons, slowly come down through Fidaz toward Flims. The walk includes a slow descent down the beautiful but steep Scala Mola, a rocky path that is 2 metres wide and has existed since 1645. It begins in the high valley of Bargis, beneath the sheer limestone cliffs of the Flimserstein massif and takes four to eight hours before the cattle reach their farms. Roman Niederberger, Alpine foreman of the Flimserstein Alp says, “For me, the descent of the Alps is much more than an event. It's the moment in which we carry on something primal with our animals.”
Spectators in Bargis start the day with a Buura Z’Morga (farmers’ breakfast), comprising bread, cheese, smoked meats, and fresh milk. Along the route, visitors cheer as the herds pass, bells clanging in rhythm. By afternoon, locals welcome them with market stalls, crafts, and regional delicacies. Music, from accordions and alphorns, fills the streets as children run alongside goats and calves.
The day closes with the Stallchilbi, a fair where most stalls sell Alpkäse, cheese made during the summer months with a rich, nutty flavour infused with alpine herbs. Other local specialties include air-dried sausages, buttermilk, and nut tortes. In some villages, herdsmen also divide the summer’s cheese among themselves—a ritual that underscores the communal nature of the tradition. Watching decorated cows wind down from Bargis feels like witnessing a scene from the Johanna Spyri’s Heidi—the 19th-century classic steeped in alpine life. Yet the Alpabzug is more than a spectacle. In an age of industrial farming, it highlights sustainable traditions and the enduring ties between animals, people, and the land.
A ritual endured through generations, it's rooted in survival and gratitude. The descent embodies connection: linking herdsmen with their animals, villages with valleys, and the present with the past.
Every homecoming is a living reminder of how these communities honour its land, animals, and way of life.