Mocheni Valley

The Fersental, Mocheno Bersntol, Italian Val Fersina, Val dei Mocheni, is one of the German-speaking islands of the Cimbri in Northern Italy.

The Fersental lies in the region of Trentino -Alto Adige, Trento Province, is a northern tributary of the upper Valsugana ( German Valsugana ) at Pergine ( German heels) at an altitude 700-1000 m above sea level.

About 1,000 people including those living in Trento heels Taler families speak today active Mocheno.

The heel Taler villages Eichleit ( Roveda ) and Gereut ( Frassilongo ) form a community, the community Florutz ( Fierozzo ) comprises the hamlets of St. Francis and St. Felix. The valley forms Palai ( Palu del Fersina ). Located on the right side of the valley capital Orsola Terme is Italian-speaking.

History

Settlement traces and traces of mining are already detectable for the Bronze Age, but there is no evidence of continuous and fixed habitation.

The Fersental was in 13-14. Century colonized by immigration from different valleys North and South Tyrol, possibly in two steps: First, mine settlements were the mining of copper, silver and gold applied (former silver mine at the end of the valley ), but later settled farmers.

Since the Fersental only allowed a small living, operated especially the men at least since the first half of the 17th century to the 20th century migrant trade. The Chandler ( " Krumern " ) practiced their profession in the whole territory of the Habsburg monarchy.

Since 1865 up to the seizure of power by the fascists (1922 ) there was a German school in Fersental.

During the First World War, the Fersental lay on the Austro- Hungarian side just behind the Dolomite front, the south went directly from Lusern and ran through the seven municipalities.

After the end of World War II, the Fersental came in 1919 by the Treaty of Saint- Germain along with Trento in Italy.

During the fascist period (1922-1943) all fersentalerischen traditions and language were suppressed and banned not only in public, but even in the private sector: Mussolini and Ettore Tolomei operated as in South Tyrol, in all heel Taler communities a ruthless policy of Italianisation.

Due to an agreement between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in 1939, the heels Taler had to decide by option if they resettle German as the German Reich or wanted to stay as an Italian in the home. An intense Nazi propaganda reached that many valley dwellers opted for resettlement. 1942 were resettled from the Fersental in Czech villages in Budweis total of 556 persons, of which the inhabitants had been expelled: 330 from Palai, 183 from Florutz, 9 and 44 from Gereut of Saint Ursula. The abandoned land was acquired by the German settlement trust ( DAT). 1945 had the evacuees leave their new homes and the majority returned back to the old country. Here they were at first like foreigners in their own country, because their land had to sell them. Only by Law 889 of 3 August 1949, the Italian government ordered the restitution of the land.

The poor conditions in Fersental decades had increased migration result. Many heels Taler worked as migrant workers in Switzerland and Germany, but most industrial places of Trentino in Italy or elsewhere. Commuting particularly young heels Taler in the Trentino industrial areas led, as in many other language islands to a continuous decline in the heel Taler dialect and a slow wasting. Also, there was no school for the children in the mother tongue. However, those who worked in the German-speaking world, brought good German home with. This was also true for heel Taler, who worked in South Tyrol.

Today, the Fersentalerische in Fersental still in Palai, Florutz and Eichleit is widespread in everyday life as it is spoken in Gereut only a minority of people.

In recent years, the decline in Fersentalerischen (as well as the Cimbrian ) could be stopped, because now both the Province of Trento and the Trentino -Alto Adige partially financed by EU funds, not only the preservation of the language support, but also projects in tourism and the economy support, so that more and more young heels Credits to her hometown to open economic opportunities.

In 1987, the Cultural Institute Bersntol - Lusern was established by the Province of Trento. The headquarters is located in Palai, an outpost on the other hand in Lusern, that Cimbric village of Val Sugana, which is south on the Lavarone their remoteness from Fersental in a straight line only about 10-15 km, but the adventurous Kaiserjägerstraße must be overcome. Lusern has been able to best preserve the Cimbrian and can be regarded in many respects as idealistic but also as a model for all language islands of the Cimbri. The heel Taler entertain Lusern very close contacts ( detailed information in the main article Lusern ). Meanwhile, there is also a cross-regional cooperation with the other language of the Cimbri Islands ( Seven Churches, Sappada, Sauris, Thirteen communities Timau ).

Language

The heel Taler idiom was already recognized in the early modern period as Alemannic or bavarian. The German dialect of the heel Tales is strongly influenced by Tyrolean influences and is significantly different in sound level and vocabulary of the language Cimbric Islands. Therefore, the view is taken, the heels dollars are not to be counted among the Cimbri. However, the heel Taler even maintain close relations with the locations of the Cimbri. Since many Taler heels were for centuries as a traveling merchant by selling all kinds of goods in Tyrol and also active, there was a continuous contact with the closed German language area. This is different from all the Fersental Cimbrian Islands.

According to 2002 census, in which data were collected for the native language for the first time, is spoken in the following municipalities majority heels Taler German ( details refer to " belonging to the heel Taler language group " ): Florutz / Fierozzo / Vlarotz (423 persons, 95.92 %), Palai / Palu / Palae (184 persons, 95.34 %), Gereut / Frassilongo / Garait (340 persons, 95.24 % - also includes the location Eichleit / Roveda ). In other municipalities of Trentino gave 1331 people to be among the heels Taler language group, a total of 2278 in Trentino. According to other data which heels Taler dialect of almost all in Eichleit and Palai, the majority in Florutz, but only a small minority in the village Gereut is used as the actual vernacular.

For several years Mocheno is recognized as a minority language in Trentino next to the Cimbrian and the Ladin.

Multilingualism in the school

Since 1918 Fersental Italian was the only language of instruction in schools. With the recognition as a minority language, the Fersentalerische as well as the font German again gaining importance. In the primary school of Florutz the dialect is offered as a compulsory subject from the first grade to the last few years. In addition, there are at this as so far the only school in Trentino - tentatively - two teaching languages: Italian and German. A study in 2009 found that children with knowledge in the vernacular had significant advantages in the German lessons over previously monolingual Italian peers.

Naming

Apart from some Roman consist predominantly German names that are spelled differently but for lack of a standardized written language, for example, Hos, Oss, for Haas, hare '. The surnames that are common in today Fersental (for example Marchl, Moar, Hoss, grain, Toller, Stefani, Laner, Moltrer, Hueller, Eccher ), are due to the colonizer.

The farms were (for example Habichthof, Hoslerhof, Puechhof ) or after the name of the family named after nature or topography of the area, who had founded the farm (for example Turrerhof, Prighelhof etc.).

Palai is a Germanization of Early Italian palude (German, swamp ').

The heel Taler be called by the Italians Mocheni because they ( make ' dt, ) often use the verb Mochen. The term has been partially incorporated in the general and scientific terminology.

Tradition

Ore mining has greatly influenced culture and tradition in imagination, stories, legends and myths.

Every year, an archaic ceremony will be held for Carnival.

Very recently, an old copper mine has been restored and opened to the public, the Grua vo Hardömbl in Palai. Inside the mine, a part of the supporting structures, tunnels and wooden stairs can be seen, which date from the 16th century.

The typical design for the Fersental is of log construction, which consists of a single stem with a diameter of about 25-40 cm, are cut square, are laminated and block each other by notches and anchor themselves as each other. Most corners are walled up at the bottom. The farm consists of two floors: the ground floor of the barn are ( Stoll ), the brick living area and work areas. In the upper floor there is the built wooden barn and over the shingled roof.

An impressive courtyard in the traditional style is the Filzerhof in Florutz (Italian Fierozzo ), whose restoration is due to the Cultural Institute Bersntol - Lusern in the first place. Even today, several typical farms have been preserved.