"Tgamons" – Historic hay huts in Parc Ela

Alpine areas that are suitable as meadows are not only used as grazing areas, but are also mowed every second or third year. In the past, this mountain hay was temporarily stored on site outdoors or in simple, free-standing hay huts and brought to the stable barns further down for feeding on tarpaulins or sleds during the winter months with little work. Around Piz Toissa in Central Grisons, you will regularly come across these hay huts, called "Tgamons" here, whose gable roofs are covered exclusively with wooden boards. In the areas of Stierva (municipality of Albula/Alvra) and Salouf (municipality of Surses), 35 surviving tgamons could be recorded, of which 23 objects are worth preserving from a monument preservation point of view. The Tgamon in Munter, Salouf, was repaired in a pilot project in October 2022. The construction work was carried out by hand and with wood from the region by a team from the Parc Ela association and the owner. Visit this witness of traditional agriculture and historical cultural elements on a hike. In summer, you can easily get there by bike and hiking bus from Savognin. By 2025, ten more Tgamons in the Stierva and Salouf areas are to be saved from decay. This project is financially supported by the Graubünden Office for Nature and the Environment.