A pastoral valley
The Wildschönau - A pastoral experience.
From about mid May the high pastures around the Wildschönau Mountains will take in their 100s of summer guests. You will encounter `alms` or alpine pastures on almost every walk in the Wildschönau. There are 46 alms in the Wildschönau the highest is the Seefelder Alm at 1979 metres. The cows are brought up for the rich summer grazing while the grass is harvestes at home to feed the livestock through the long winter. In the summer months butter and cheese is made up here where the grass is rich. Some cowherds simply watch over the cattle and bring the milk down to the valley to be transported to the bigger dairies but others spend the whole summer with their families on the alm, a way of life which is hard and incomprehensible to most of us these days, often without TV, telephone or even electricity, but a peace that is heavenly and a generation of Tiroleans wouldn't miss these months for anything.
The festival for the cattle returning to their home farms at the end of September is an unforgettable sight. Hundreds of cows heading home with their horns decorated to celebrate the end of the summer.
Schönanger Alm
Johann Schönauer from the Schönanger Dairy is a well-known cheese maker.
Almabtrieb Festival
The Almabtrieb Festival to celebrate the cows returning from the summer pastures is a spectacular event where hundreds of cows are driven through the valley, their horns gaily decorated with garlands.
Breakfast on the alp
An special insider's tip is a Wildschönau Alpine Breakfast on the Farnkaser Alm
The Holzalm - Cheese Alm
The Holz Alm aka Käse Alm lies in the Markbachjoch hiking area.
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