A striking feature of Upper Goms is the large number of the age-old houses and barns. The Valais block construction has rectangular walls and a flat pitched roof. Another signature feature are the clever “mouse slabs” on which the barns were built: stilts with circular stone slabs laid which are insurmountable obstacles for mice and rats - and therefore the perfect protection for precious supplies.
Those interested in history can follow in the footsteps of farming life in Zermatt over the last 800 years on the Zermatt cultural trails. For example, the "oldest barn in Europe" can be discovered on the "Zermatt-Zmutt cultural trail" themed hike.
And the "hamlet of Zmutt" is not only the most original settlement in Zermatt, but also one of the oldest dated hamlets in the Alps and the oldest in Switzerland.
The log building
If a building is constructed from wood rather than stone, log construction is one of the most common techniques. It is also known as rope construction and is easy to construct.
The individual logs are laid horizontally on top of each other, cut at their ends and crossed or "knitted" on top of each other. In this way, the heads of the wall trees protrude at all four corners of the building, the block projections (known as "Gwätti" in Valais dialect). Archaeological excavations in Valais have proven this solid and durable technique as early as Celtic times (last millennium BC).
What types of building are there?
The stable barn
The stable barn is the most common type of traditional building. Stable barns are not only found in large numbers in villages. They are also scattered across the countryside, often far up into the area where the pastures of the summer Alps begin. The reason is obvious: livestock is the central livelihood of the farmer. For his cows, sheep and goats, he builds his own type of building, the stable barn. The hay from the meadows is stored in the upper part in summer. In winter, it is fed to the animals in the barn below. But why not rationalise this in a single place, conveniently down in the village?
There were no roads in the mountains, engines and machines were still unknown. It would have taken an enormous amount of labour to bring all the hay from everywhere to a single large barn in the village. It was easier to move the cattle to the hay stores - which is why barns were built in various places in the area.
The barn
Like the stable barns, the barns were located both in the villages and scattered around the countryside. The grain stored in the barn was so important to the farmer that he invented a separate building for it, the barn. The structure with the actual storage room stands on stilts. These wooden legs protect the building from the ground moisture. The circulating air prevents rotting. The stone slabs on the wooden supports make access difficult for mice and other voracious pests. Running through the centre of the building is the threshing floor, a solid floor made of thick wooden planks on which the grain was threshed in winter.
The granary
The granary (dialect: dr Schpiicher) was something like the farmer's treasure chest. However, you have to imagine it as modest: It was not used to store enormous riches, but dried meat, ham, bacon and sausages as well as grains. As long-lasting food supplies, they ensured survival. There was also room for a few belongings and clothes. The granary can therefore always be locked and the timbers of the walls are tightly stacked so that neither pests nor thieves have access. In addition, the granary (like the barn) stands on wooden legs to prevent moisture from the ground rising into the building and causing the food to go mouldy. The stone slabs are a good static support for the heavy structure on the fine supports - and they can prevent rodents from entering.
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