Tour description
Gaschurn - Tafamunt - Wiegensee - Verbellaalpe - Kopssee - Galtür
The landscape trail between Gaschurn-Partenen and Galtür offers you insight into the area between Innerfratte and Paznaun. You experience impressive landscapes that have become the backdrop for remarkable and historical events. Characteristic landscape elements show current developments but also conflicts of interest between various groups.
Rear Chapel, Kopssee
Merchants and apprentices once crossed the Zeinisjoch, soldiers appeared during several wars. Even in peacetime, soldiers appeared: uniformed and even armed Swiss reservists from Samnaun often took the shortcut over the Zeblas and Zeinisjoch instead of going through Engadin when traveling to Chur or back to Samnaun.
There were heartbreaking scenes on the Zeinisjoch as well: especially when Paznaun families appeared there to say goodbye to their children. From here, the children were led by middlemen into the so-called Schwabengängerei. They had to travel as far as Friedrichshafen, Tettnang or Ravensburg to work on farms and fields and bring back a small payment to their homeland.
The "Rearkapelli" still commemorates the tearful farewell of these contract children. The name derives from «reara», the colloquial word for «to cry».
The phenomenon of Schwabengängerei was known to authorities as early as 1625. From Bludenz, it was reported to Innsbruck that "every year in springtime many children go to the farms near Ravensburg, Überlingen and into the empire, but return home before and after Martini." Martini refers to St. Martin's Day on November 11. From spring until November the children were away, with the sad climax of Schwabengängerei likely in the early 19th century, when thousands of children from the Alpine region had to move away. Even in the early 20th century, about 800 children per year from Tyrol and Vorarlberg moved to Upper Swabia.
Here you can find a short video about Wiegensee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7NUtvW9pLg&feature=youtu.be
