Almabtrieb

The Almabtrieb (in the German language, literally: drive from the mountain pasture) is an annual event in the alpine regions in Europe, referring to a train of cows in autumn. During summer, all over the alpine areas bovine herds feed on alpine pastures high up in the mountains. In numbers, these amount to about 500,000 cows in Austria, and 50,000 in Germany. In autumn, these herds are led to their stables down in the valley, in the Almabtrieb cow train. If there were no accidents during the summer, in many areas the cows are decorated elaborately, and the cow train is celebrated with music and dance events in the towns and villages. In many places this alpine custom of Almabtrieb has nowadays evolved into a major tourist attraction, focusing on the marketing of local products and alcoholic beverages.