Walser Settlement Guscha

Dörfli Guscha
Not far from the little church of St. Luzisteig, the narrow, drivable path branches off to the Dörfli Guscha. It leads over the Steigwiesen, past the Guschaturm, the increasingly steep forest path to the Walser settlement at an altitude of 1115 meters. Guscha leans against the steep slope of the foothills of the Falknis massif. The view over the Fläscherberg into the Rhine valley is free and open. Today, five white houses look down into the valley, pensive and dreamy.
The Guscha settlement is a remnant of the former Walser community "Am Berg". This consisted of Stürvis, Vatscherinerberg as well as Rofels, Bovel and Guscha. Stürvis and Vatscherinerberg have long since ceased to exist as settlements, Rofels and Bovel were united with the town of Maienfeld in 1633. At the end of 1969, the last residents, the Mathis Just family, left their sunny residence on Guscha and moved into the valley. The federal government acquired the 16-hectare settlement as a security zone for the St. Luzisteig military base.
An association was founded in 1974 under the name "Pro Guscha". Its purpose is to maintain, improve and use the buildings and the surrounding area of the old Walser settlement of Guscha.
In June 2018, the contract of the "Pro Guscha" association with the VBS was extended until the 1930s. The more centralized and bureaucratic the federal government's property management is, the more complicated contracts become with associations that maintain and manage VBS-owned properties out of idealism. It took several attempts, but finally the contract was renewed in such a way that the "Pro Guscha" association can continue to maintain the Guscha settlement.

Guscha is a colloquial name for the village of Guscha above Fläsch, a former Walser settlement with the Guscha Tower and the current military security zone of the St. Luzisteig Fortress. The name refers to the hike to the Walser settlement of Guscha, from Fläsch through the Steigwald forest and over St. Luzisteig, which offers a steep but rewarding tour with magnificent views. The settlement lies at an elevation of approximately 1,115 meters.

Guscha is always worth a trip.