Woldmanndli

On the Saturday of Chilbi weekend (Chilbis are town fairs held in many Swiss towns and villages), dozens of Woldmanndli (men of the forest) take part in a procession from Gurschenwald to Ander-matt, accompanied by a cacophony of cowbell ringing and hooting goat's horns. The tradition appeals simply as a spectacle, but its significance is also derived from a historical interpretation which since 1397 has linked the noisy procession with the maintenance of the nearby protected forest. According to the main historical narrative, the Woldmanndli represent the workers and day labourers who used to maintain and protect the local forest, the Gurschenwald, for the benefit of the village community – although small, the forest is vital for protection against avalanches. The tradition has become noticea-bly more popular in recent years. In 2004, observers counted only 25 Woldmanndli, but by 2010 the number had risen to around a hundred. Since that time, their number is stable.


Detailed description

Woldmanndli (PDF, 377 kB, 22.07.2024)Ausführliche Beschreibung


Category


Canton

Connected traditions

Publications

Willi Bomatter-Furger: Urchige Figuren schützen Wald. In: Neue Urner Zeitung, 17. Oktober 2007, p. 20

Dokumentation zur Geschichte der Woldmanndli, Privatbesitz Willi Bomatter-Furger

Iso Müller: Ursern im frühen Spätmittelalter 1300-1433. In: Der Geschichtsfreund 135. Stans, 1982, p. 171-241

Karl Oechslin: Der Wald und Lawinenverbau. In: Ursern. Das imposante Hochtal zwischen Gotthard, Furka und Oberalp in Wort und Bild. Thun, 1978, p. 119-122

Max Oechslin: Das Land Uri und sein Wald. In: Verhandlungen der Schweizerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 114. Aarau, 1933, p. 185-196

Max Oechslin: Querschnitt durch das Urnerland und dessen Probleme. In: Verhandlungen der Schweizerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 134. Aarau, 1954, p. 11-22

Eduard Wymann: Zwei Bannbriefe von 1397 und 1717 für den Wald ob Andermatt. In: 30. Historisches Neujahrsblatt. Ed. Verein für Geschichte und Alterthümer von Uri. Altdorf, 1924, p. 37-41

Keywords

Autumn

Contact

St. Nikolaus-Organisation
Andermatt
www.gemeinde-andermatt.ch

Print contact

https://www.lebendige-traditionen.ch/content/tradition/en/home/traditionen/woldmanndli.html