Immigration

The immigration of the Walsers

The first continuous settlers of the Breitach valley were the Walsers, which were given the name because of their origin from Wallis in Switzerland. In the 13th century a late migration from Rhonetal through the alps began. Whole kinship federations moved to the Aostatal, into the Piemont, into the Bernese upper country, into the high valleys of Graubuenden, to Liechtenstein, Tirol and to Vorarlberg. The oldest documented message about the immigration directly from Wallis to Vorarlberg originates from the year 1492: "...das die armen leut zu Mittelberg mitsambt denen von Tenneberg (Tannberg) von Wallas khomen und frey leut seyen und hab den Mittelberg und zu den Rüetznern erreut und dotzemal haben sy anfenklich ain schirm empfangen von ainem herrn von Rotenberg (Rettenberg), darumb hab dann ain yeder demselben herrn geben jerrgklich (jährlich) ain khäs ... ".

There are different opinions about the reasons for the late "migration" which has not be clarified as yet by research . Hard living conditions, small crop yield, overpopulation, constant feuds between the sovereigns, which hung over the Walliser mountain people, would have induced the liberty-loving, cearly well-informed little people to look for a new homeland.

An important reason was also probably that young, military efficient men from the Wallis were desired as mercenaries by the feudal lords in Graubünden and Vorarlberg, who fought their private feuds in the 13th and 14th century. The first Walsers in Vorarlberg were probably recruited war people from Wallis, to which the right to settle in the high alpine region was given in place of a military payment.

With reference to the first settlers in Kleinwalsertal we note something in the "year time book of the parish Mittelberg" 1462: "Es ist zu wissen daß Hanns Wüstner der alt zu dem ersten ain anfanger und stiffter gewesen ist ...". After the recordings of the domestic chronicler Alfons Koeberle "around 1310 five Walliser families climbed down under guidance of a Hans Wuestner over the Hochalppass into the still uninhabited Breitach valley and created with work lasting decades the settlements of Baad, Bödmen, Mittelberg (with Hirschegg) and Riezlern" . The Earls of Rettenberg wereup until 1350 the lords of the large hunting ground Tannberg Mittelberg. They granted the Walser libertiesto be free and the right to marry, the free low jurisdiction and autonomy to the new settlers. The land lords reserved for themselves the high jurisdiction (blood spell). In case of emergency the "free Walser" had to carry out war service with "scolds and  javelin".