Alp Valüna

Alp Valüna, Saminatal (Valorschtal), Steg
Alp in the southern (upper) Saminatal (Valorschtal), municipality of Triesen; 498 ha, of which 130 ha are productive pastureland. Borders on Gritsch (Schaan), Gapfahl (Balzers/Mäls), Steg and Alpelti (Triesenberg) as well as Pradamee/Hahnenspiel (Vaduz). In addition to Valünasäss (1409 m above sea level), the Valüna includes two further alpine pastures: Waldboda (1557 m above sea level) and Obersäss (1646 m above sea level). Name Valorsch from Old Romansh valüglia (little valley).
First mentioned in 1378 (vallúl), when Count Heinrich V of Werdenberg-Sargans-Vaduz sold his Alp Valüna with the estates Drasgimiel (Alpelti) and Schädlersboden (Chleistäg) to the village community of Triesen. The village community had already used Valüna before (probably as a fief). In 1403 the Triesen residents gave the Alpelti and in 1406 the Chleistäg to some Triesenberg residents as hereditary fiefs; in 1615 the Chleistäg and in 1665 the Alpelti passed entirely to the Triesenberg residents. In 1600 the pastures Schafbleikin and Messweid and in 1659 the Platta were sold to Mäls (Alp Gapfahl), in 1610 the Heidböchel to Triesenberg. Conversely, in 1651 Triesen bought the Waldboda from Count Franz Wilhelm von Hohenems, which it cleared like several other forest areas (1600, 1647, 1663).
From 1595 to 1718 the Valüna was allocated to the members of the lower village of Triesen, the Alp Lawena to those in the upper village. The land register from 1809 lists all citizens of the municipality of Triesen as owners of the Valüna, with the exception of the Hintersassen. According to the Triesen Alp Statutes of 1867, the municipality was the owner, and since 2004 it has been the newly created Triesen Citizens' Association.
Triesen successfully defended itself several times against foreign claims to the rights to the Alps in the Valüna: in 1493 against Baron Ludwig von Brandis, in 1684 against Count Ferdinand Karl von Hohenems, in 1762 against the Austrian bailiwick administration in Feldkirch and the municipality of Balzers/Mäls. Border and usage conflicts with Gapfahl (1440, 1636, 1899) and Gritsch (1474, 1601, 1602, 1608, 1942) were frequent. In addition, various conflict-prone servitudes were burdened on the Valüna, in addition to rights of way, in particular the right of snow escape in favor of the Alpelti, Gapfahl and Gritsch, as well as wood procurement rights in favor of Gapfahl (until 1984) and Gritsch.
In 1815, the governor Josef Schuppler classified the Valüna cow alp as the best Liechtenstein alp. According to the Brandisian Urbar (around 1509/17), 2 quarters of lard and 8 cheeses were to be paid from it as bird milk (replaced in 1861). The grazing of foreign cattle in return for interest is documented as early as 1493. When the land register was created in 1809, the maximum stocking of the Valüna was set at 100 cattle; this increased over the course of the 19th century and has been 185 cattle units since 1997. In 1892, 203 cows and 35 heifers were grazing on the Alps, in 2004 55 cows with and 61 without cheese production, as well as 135 calves and cattle. Horses, pigs and, until around 1960, sheep in high altitudes were also often kept in the Valüna. Until 1945, there were two dairies on the Valünasäss (since then one), and another until 1957 on the Waldboda. In 1891, production was 71,862 kg of milk, 2,385 kg of butter and 5,410 kg of cheese, and in 2003 it was 48,207 kg of milk, 3,239 kg of fatty cheese and 1,385 kg of sour cheese. The municipality ran the alpine farm itself until 1957. From that year on, it leased the Valüna together with the Matruala, Forst and Scherris pastures, first to the Triesen Alpine Users' Association, then to individuals.
In 1493, a cheese dairy was mentioned in the Valüna, in 1602 a "Stafel" (alpine hut/stable), in 1651 huts and a "Rinderstafel". In 1792/93, an avalanche destroyed two alpine huts. They were rebuilt in 1793. Two stables built in Säss in 1876/77 were swept away by an avalanche in 1945, along with the two alpine huts from 1793. The current alpine hut and stable were built on top of them in 1945-47 (a mechanical milking system was installed in the 1970s, a milking parlor in 2001 and the building was renovated in accordance with EEA hygiene regulations). The alpine hut and stable existed on Waldboda by the 19th century at the latest. The current building, built in 1945, was temporarily leased for recreational purposes after the alpine dairy was closed in 1957; since a renovation in 2003, it has been used as a shepherd's hut again. From 1865 and 1870 until an avalanche in 1999, the alpine hut and stable also existed on Obersäss, which was first mentioned in 1651. The old alpine path over the Kulm was replaced by drivable roads from the 1860s onwards; the Sücka-Valüna section was built in 1869. In 1969, the mountain area rehabilitation in the Valüna was started. The Valüna high hunting area also includes Gritsch, Gapfahl, Alpelti and Chleistäg (1289 ha). The Valüna valley is a popular hiking and cross-country skiing area.
Text / Source: Historisches Lexikon li
historisches-lexikon.li/Val%C3%BCna

The wonderfully situated Alp Valüna can be easily reached via a wide, flat gravel path along the Valunerbach. In the sunny garden you can enjoy fresh dairy products, Zvieriplättl, cheese and other regional products. The alp is managed from mid-May to October and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Top alpine economy for everything that warms (our) gravel heart: cheese platters, salsiz, cake, nut croissants, Suure Moscht.