The terraced fields in the «Zälg»
The field terraces (Zälg in the local dialect) northeast of the village of Erschmatt form an impressive cultural landscape. Living 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level, the people of Erschmatt and Bratsch grew rye on these terraces for their subsistence. Over the past 60 years, the nature of the Zälg and its biodiversity have changed fundamentally. It is the responsibility of all of us to maintain and preserve this cultural heritage and its biodiversity for future generations through appropriate use.
Zälg
The Zälg is a small parcel of land; several owners had a plot of land on a single terrace, which they could only reach via neighbouring plots. There were therefore regulated time slots for spreading manure, ploughing, sowing and harvesting, which everyone had to adhere to. This constraint on the owners is the defining characteristic of a zelgen system.
Terraced landscape
For centuries, people terraced steep mountain slopes in order to be able to farm them. The agricultural terraces of the Zälg consist of flat to slightly sloping terraced areas for use as fields as well as steeply sloping terraced slopes or ravines (the ‘Furä’ in dialect). Terraces for the cultivation of grain, rice, wine, etc. are characteristic landscapes all over the world and some of them are Unesco cultural heritage sites: e.g. Lavaux-Weinberge, Reisterrassen von Banaue.
Grain
Cereals have been one of the most important sources of food for humans and animals for thousands of years. The main type of grain in a region is colloquially referred to as ‘grain’; in Valais, for example, rye is known as ‘Korn’ (local dialect ‘Choru’).
History and Events
Sage - Der geprellte Teufel
Geschichte zur Zälg und dem Hugostein
Die Ackerterrassen wurden jährlich abwechselnd einmal in der oberen Zälg und einmal in der unteren Zälg mit Roggen bepflanzt. Das war aber nicht immer so...