Home » Travel » Liechtenstein » Autumn In Liechtenstein

Autumn In Liechtenstein

© James Foster Robinson

Autumn is an especially pleasant time of year to be in the Principality of Liechtenstein. You can walk in the valleys and on the lower slopes of the Liechtenstein Mountains under the trees cloaked in the autumn colors. The Oak in red, brown or russet, the Ash in yellow, the Beech in yellow and the Sycamore in yellow and orange offset by evergreens higher up the slopes.

As the leaves fall and the weather is softened by the warm Föhn wind, the people of Liechtenstein gather to celebrate the harvest and the returning of the cows from the high summer pastures. As the autumn nights begin to fall earlier and earlier, the Liechtensteiners gather around the fireplaces in their homes, in a cozy restaurant around the corner or in any of the many excellent gourmet establishments, they tell their stories of summer and past years’ events. They remember their history, their folklore and their heroes.

This is the time of "Kuhherzle", the tradition of the little cow hearts that is now only found in the Oberland, the Upper Country of Liechtenstein. During the summer the cows of Liechtenstein are pastured on the lush grass of upland meadows and in the Samina Valley around the hamlet of Steg. Then in autumn as the snow of winter approaches, the cows are led down to the Rhine valley by a tunnel from the Samina Valley to the slopes above Triesenberg. The Kuhherzle oriented in the Middle Ages but continues today. Back then a farmhand whittled the cow heart out of shingles and board each in a different shape. Today they are of a standard shape. If it has been a good summer, the herders tie the Kuhherzle on the neck of the best milk cows and a milking stool on the back of their necks. To show their gratitude and happiness at having lost no cows, the farmhands attach artificial flowers and multicolored ribbons to the cow’s horns. If there was any accident to the herd, then no hearts are tied to the cows. Proud farmers display the wooden arts their cows earned by hanging them over their stall doors.

Paul Gallo wrote a story called “Ludmila – A legend of Liechtenstein” about the tradition of the Kuhherzle. Set in the 1800’s, the story told of a little Liechtenstein girl who loved a weak cow that gave little milk one summer. Then a miracle happened. You should read the story to find out what that miracle was.

The copyright of the article Autumn In Liechtenstein in Liechtenstein is owned by . Permission to republish Autumn In Liechtenstein in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.