Art, Nature and Culture in Val Müstair
19 March 2022
A small valley with about 1 600 inhabitants, six (larger) villages and yet some world-famous and unique sights and remarkable linguistic, cultural and historical facts: the Val Müstair in the far east of Switzerland, on the border with South Tyrol and Lombardy in Italy. Several institutions are discussed below.
The local language is Jauer, a Romansh variant of Vallader in Unterengadin. In South Tyrol, in the region of Taufers, the language is the Vinschauer dialect; in Lombardy, it is Ladin, another language related to Romansh.
Charlemagne (748-814) knew this valley like rather well: he stayed here in 774 and 775 before and on his return from his campaign against the Lombards. The monastery of St Johann in Mustair (Claustra Son Jon) and the church in Sta. Maria owe their existence to the presence of Charlemagne.
The village was called Silvaplana, but over time took the name of the church. The village lies at the foot of the Umbrail Pass, one of the highest Swiss passes at 2503 (or 2501) metres, depending on Italian or Swiss measurement!
Until 1918, Austria was the neighbour. Italy acquired South Tyrol after the end of World War I (1914-1918) as a result of the Versailles negotiations (1918-1919). Since then, the Umbrail Pass has been called the Giogo di Sta. Maria on the Italian side.
The 1914-1918 museum is dedicated to this history. The Austro-Hungarian army of the dual monarchy fought the Italian military from 23 May 1915 to 11 November 1918 at the Stelvio Pass (Stilfser Joch, 2578 metres) and the Umbrail Pass.
It is the irony of history that Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was the driving force behind this war, even though the kingdom of Italy was not only neutral but had even been a member of the Triple Alliance of the German Empire and the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary since 1882.
However, the Entente of France and Britain promised Austrian territories in Lombardy and Trent and even South Tyrol in the event of victory, although almost no Italians lived there.
It was a ruthless war at an altitude of 2,500 metres. Heavy artillery, men, supplies, ammunition, hospitals, trenches and bunkers at this height where even the ibex does not like to dwell. The front did not change, but the human toll was enormous.
The museum approaches this period from the perspective of the Three Country Point and three languages: Italian, German and Romansh (Platz der drei Sprachen, plaz da las trais linguas).
The Swiss army guarded and defended its neutrality. A plaque at the church for soldier Joseph Bauhofer (1890-1918), who died of Spanish flu, is a reminder.
Joseph Bauhofer (1890-1918)
Whisky museum, brewery and museum
The Guinness Book of Records lists the Whisky Bar as the smallest in the world in 2007, with 300 types of Whisky for a village with less than 350 inhabitants! There is also a whisky distillery and a whisky museum.
The mill, dating from the 17th century, is Switzerland’s oldest functioning grain mill. The Murainza stream and canal drive the mill. The complex is also a museum.
Hand weaving is a tradition and ancient economic activity in the valley. Until 1900, almost every farm had a weaving loom. Tessanda was established in 1928. Today, the weaving company uses 26 looms powered by human resources. The machines are between 40 and 120 years old. It employs nineteen people (nine weavers, three sewists, and four staff) and has three training posts. It is the oldest surviving hand-weaving company in the country.
Biblioteca Jaura
The library in the Chasa cumünala is more than a collection of books and magazines. It is a documentation centre on Jauer and the dialects spoken in South Tyrol and Lombardy, the history of this region and centuries of (cultural) exchange and relations. The writer Tista Murk (1915-1992) founded it in 1984 and left it his extensive archive and collection.
Hans-Peter Schreich, a former pastor in Vachlava, has since developed it into a (digitised) collection of 5 000 books, 40 periodicals, and thousands of photographs and slides. The Biblioteca Jaura is an independent part of the museum association Chasa Jaura.
About 10% of the books are older than 1900, including the 1679 Vallader Bible, printed in Scuol! The printing company moved to Strada a few years later.
Chasa Jaura Art-Museum Cultura
The museum is dedicated to the valley’s history, art and culture and organises regular events and exhibitions.
The monastery of St Johann or Claustra Son Jon is the namesake of the village of about 700 inhabitants and the valley. Müstair means monastery.
