Next: 11 Sept 2027
Viehscheid in Bad Hindelang
On 11 September, about a thousand cattle come down from five alps to Bad Hindelang in the Allgäu and are handed back to their owners.
Cattle at Viehscheid in Bad Hindelang
In the Allgäu the coming down from the summer pastures is called Viehscheid, the parting of the cattle, because animals from many farms that grazed together on the alp are sorted and returned to their owners. In Bad Hindelang it falls each year on 11 September and is the valley's biggest festival and a local holiday. Around a thousand young cattle come down from five alps after about a hundred days on the mountain. If the summer passed without the loss of an animal, the herd is led by a cow wearing a crown of flowers and greenery; otherwise the decoration is left off. The sorting is followed by music, beer tents and a market.
The breeds
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Bad Hindelang" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Braunvieh: CosyCobra, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Original Braunvieh: Goldmull, CC BY-SA 3.0, source