Folkloristic showdown at the Appenzeller Berghaus Bollenwees
Published: Monday, Jul 29th 2024, 19:50
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At the Bollenwees mountain inn near Brülisau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, locals and guests competed in stone throwing at the traditional "Bollenwees-Stobete" on Monday. The winner of the Unspunnen Festival also took part.
A highlight of the two-day event at 1471 meters above sea level was a stone throwing competition for everyone on Monday.
In the "Bollewöffe", men and women competed in the old dairy tradition of hurling a 20-kilogram stone from the adjacent Fählensee lake as far as possible through the air. There were no restrictions in terms of throwing technique.
Alpine competition returns
The "Bollenwees-Stobete" takes place at the end of July. The focus is on folklore with yodelling, string music, traditional costumes and dancing. According to the organizers, the Appenzell tradition can be experienced "unadorned and up close".
"Alpstobete" have long since developed into a cultural asset in the Appenzell region and were based on the herdsmen visiting each other in their parlors during the alpine summer. The sporting part of these festivals, such as stone throwing or wrestling, fell into oblivion over time, but has been revived in recent years.
Urs Hutmacher was one of the 70 or so stone throwers who took part on Monday. At last year's Unspunnen Festival near Interlaken, he pushed the 83.5 kilogram boulder to a record height of 3.98 meters.
The stone on the Bollenwees, which weighed in at a comparatively light 20 kilograms, was thrown more than seven meters by the man from the Zurich Oberland. This meant he was as good as certain of his third consecutive victory on the Appenzeller Alp on Monday evening before the final round.
©Keystone/SDA
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