FolkCostume&Embroidery: Costumes of Vorarlberg, Austria, part 2, Kleinwalsertal and Grosses Walser Tal

Hello all,

Today I will talk about the Walser people who inhabit Vorarlberg, and their trachten.The Walser are a people who originated in the Swiss Canton of Valais/Wallis. They have spread into many valleys in the high alps in southern Switzerland, and neighboring areas of Italy and Austria. They spread over mountain passes rather than along lowland valleys and prefer to live in the highest parts of mountain valleys. They speak dialects of Allemanic which differ from that of the other people in the area.

There are various regions in Vorarlberg which are inhabited by Walser. I will cover the most important ones in this article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walser_people

Kleinwalsertal

Region 3

When examining this valley, one might question why it is a part of Austria, as the only connection is to Germany. It is surrounded by mountains on all other sides. In my research, the only answer I could find is that it is inhabited by Walser. They entered Kleinwalsertal from Großwalsertal, to the west.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleinwalsertal

The people of Kleinwalsertal also have an old tracht that has survived.

The basic garment is the Juppa, and is somewhat similar to that of Bregenzerwald. It is a full skirt with a short bodice. It is not pleated, but simply gathered into the bodice, and has a full flounce around the hem.

The bodice generally has velvet or other ribbon around the openings, and floral embroidery on front and back.

The apron, Fürsches, is full and made of many various materials. It hangs from a band which is worn above the bust, has velvet shoulder straps, and highly ornamented straps which wrap around the back and are fastened in front the ends hanging down in the center of the apron. \

A long or short sleeved linen or cotton blouse/chemise is worn under this, with at least two underskirts, linen and wool.

A short jacket, Schälkle, is worn at need. It leaves the ornamented apron straps uncovered in the rear. This is worn for more formal occasions. It may be highly ornamented in black on black.

The headgear is basically the same as in Bregenzerwald, the maiden's crown, here called chrans, is similar. Again, this is only worn by unmarried girls and brides.

The flat straw hat, the large fur cap, and the spitzkappe [a knitted woolen cap shaped like a Hershey's kiss] are also worn. See the various images.

One further type of hat is worn, and can be seen here above on the left. This is a flat straw hat similar to the other style, seen in the middle, but with gold embroidery on the underside of the brim. As you can see, it is worn tilted to the rear to show off the embroidery. This idea likely was borrowed from the Montafon costume.

A particular high hat and white veil underneath were once worn for mourning.

Men's everyday dress consists of a shirt, lederhosen, a stocking cap and a distinctive red and white jacket.

In older photos the suspenders and belt look more elaborate.

For more formal occasions, the jacket and stocking cap are replaced by a red vest, a frock coat with elaborate buttons and a tophat or tricorn.

The bridegroom wears a sort of boutonnière which is made to match the bride's crown.

There seems to be no new tracht for this valley.

Just a few more images.

Großes Walsertal

Region 4

This valley was settled by the Walser people in the 14th cent. From here they went on to settle Kleinwalsertal.

This valley has both an old tracht and a new tracht, as well as a simple summer dirndl for less formal occasions.

The old tracht and the new differ only in the lengths of the bodice and apron.

In the old tracht, the bodice is very short, and the apron is cinched above the bust.

In the new tracht, the bodice is longer, and the apron is cinched below the bust closer to the actual waist, in accordance with modern tastes.

The juppa skirt is wide and long, with no flounce. The bodice being edged with black moire ribbon around the openings. The front is cut deep, with an embroidered plastron underneath and laced with a narrow red ribbon. This bodice is usually black, but may be blue, purple or red. Details are admirably shown in the drawings above. Here is an example of the plastron embroidery.

The apron, schoss, is very full and wide, and is edged with moire ribbon on the top edge. It reaches most of the way around the body, leaving a gap in back of about 10 cm. The ribbons fastening the apron are richly embroidered, and sewn into a bow having the shape of an H. This is fastened in back so that the ends of the ribbons hang above the gap in the apron.

A collarette, Krägle or Liibli is worn over the bodice. This garment is common in Swiss tracht.

It comes in two forms. The Liibli is made in colors that match the bodice, and worn alone. It has silver chains that weigh down the corners and loop decoratively. The opening is in back. This is worn by girls and young women, with a linen blouse under the bodice.

The Krägle has the same shape, but is made of white linen with lace edging. It is worn by older women under the jacket. The jacket comes in three types which differ only in the details of their ornament. When the jacket is worn, a silk scarf is often tied around the neck. When the jacket is worn, no blouse is worn under it.

The headgear are variants of those found in other parts of Vorarlberg. The maidens' crown is here called Schäppili. The spitzkappe, knitted wool cap, is here called Nudelkappa [noodle cap], for some reason.

The flat cap of straw or felt is worn here, as well as the large fur cap, Brämchappa.

A headdress of tulle and lace, heavily starched, called Weiße Haube, was worn in the past. It seems to have completely fallen out of use.

Men's formal attire consisted of a suit with knickers, embroidered vest and neckcloth, and a felt hat worn over an embroidered undercap with tassel. Take a look at the drawings at the beginning of this section. This ensemble can be worn without the jacket or overhat.