The Village on the Boden-alp

After traversing the valley of the Almajur, which sends its waters into

the river Lech, one arrives at the Boden-Alp, which, together with

the mountain called Almajur, belongs to the village of Stanz. Upon the

Almplace of the Boden used to stand in days gone by a beautiful village

which had become, through the neighbouring silver mines belonging to

it, immensely rich. The inhabitants in course of time grew so luxurious

that they did not know what to do with their wealth, and it came into

their heads to fill their houses with all sorts of utensils of gold and

silver. They even kept their windows shut during the day, for the light

of God’s beautiful sun was not good enough for them, and preferred in

their iniquity to burn candles in massive silver candlesticks. The

patience of Heaven regarded this crime for very long, hoping, perhaps,

that the folly would outwork itself; but as it only increased the more,

the Lord proceeded with his just punishment. The whole village with

its church and people sank beneath the earth, and the once flourishing

valley became a desolate wilderness.

About forty years ago a herdboy of Boden went about in the underwood

seeking for a lost calf, when all of a sudden he ran up against a large

iron cross which was standing out from the ground. This was the cross

on the tower of the sunken church. He tried to drag it up and cleared

away the surrounding bushes; there he discovered the coping stones of

the tower, on which the cross was so firmly planted that he could not

move it; and when he returned on the following day with several other

people to dig it out, it was no longer to be seen.

Not many years ago a peasant of Hegerau in the Lech-Thal, whose name

was Klotz, passed by that mountain and entered into a sort of tunnel

through the rock, where, on account of the bad weather, he took

shelter. He lighted a torch to discover the depth of the tunnel, and

in walking on he suddenly found himself in the sunken church. The high

altar was gorgeously lighted, and the candles stood in large silver

lustres. The peasant walked about in the church, and found a man

sleeping on one of the benches, who as he awoke him inquired the time,

and when the peasant told him, he sighed and said, “Ah! it is still far

from the time.”

What he meant by these words remains still an enigma, but the peasant

seized one of the silver lustres from the altar and ran off in terror.

He arrived home late at night carrying the lustre, and would have

believed all as a dreadful dream, had he not the lustre with him as

witness. He went to rest, and on the following morning he was dead. His

wife ordered the lustre to be carried back to its place, but it was

impossible to find again the entrance of the underground church.