Panorama path Gantakopf

Versettla Bahn mountain station - Gantakopf - Garfrescha Bahn mountain station

On this very beautiful half-day hike, you have a magnificent panoramic view of the Verwall mountains opposite and the surrounding mountain world of the Silvretta and Rätikon ranges. You will repeatedly enjoy great views into the valley or towards the Maisäß settlement Garfrescha. Dining options are available at the beginning and end of the route. Both at Nova Stoba (near the Versettla Bahn mountain station) and at the “Brunellawirt” at Garfrescha, you can refresh yourself and try one or two delicacies.

Montafon linguistic roots: Gortipohl, Garfrescha, Versettla – what sounds exotic at first are old Montafon place and field names. The Montafon dialect is considered one of the most difficult to understand dialects of Vorarlberg and dates back to the Rhaeto-Romance people who settled Montafon around the 9th century AD. They came from the Swiss Graubünden, where Rhaeto-Romance dialects are still maintained today. The Montafon dialect also shows influences from the Walser people, who came from the Valais to Vorarlberg in the 13th and 14th centuries. Accordingly, today’s Montafon vernacular contains many old expressions and idioms whose meanings cannot be directly derived from Standard German. Examples are “Hees” (clothing), “Ehni” (grandfather), “Ahna” (grandmother), and “mara” (tomorrow), while “Fazanedli” (handkerchief) strongly resembles the Italian “fazzoletto.” The name “Montafon” itself is of Rhaeto-Romance origin. With references to the mining tradition and the rich water resources of the valley, it is most plausible that it is composed of “munt” (Latin mons = mountain), the Romance term for an alpine area, and “tovone,” the term for a ravine (from “tovo” meaning channel or ditch). Montafon can therefore also be translated as “alpine area with ravines.”

Presented by: Montafon
Author: Hanna Burger