Alpaufzug, the climb to the summer pastures

Cattle at Alpaufzug, the climb to the summer pastures

Each June, when the snow has gone from the high meadows, cattle in Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria, the French Alps and northern Italy leave the valley farms for the summer pastures. The Alpaufzug, or montée à l'alpage, is usually a walk of a day or more, with the cows wearing their largest bells and, in some places, flowers. Herders and families walk with them, and towns on the route hold small festivals. Up on the alp the cows graze for about a hundred days while the herders make cheese. Alpine transhumance is listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage, and the Swiss alpine summer was added in 2023.

The breeds

BraunviehThe brown cow of the Swiss and Austrian alps.SimmentalThe red and white cow of the Bernese Oberland.HérensThe fighting cow of the Valais alps.