Wässermatten

The Wässermatten in the Langete, Oenz and Rot river valleys of Oberaargau are the last remaining examples of a cultural practice of cooperative meadow irrigation and fertilisation that was once widespread in the Swiss Central Plateau. The practice can be traced back to the 9^th century and was promoted in the 13^th century by the Cistercian monks of the St. Urban monastery as part of a soil enrichment campaign. Extensive networks of canals and ditches, dams and central irrigation channels with "Brütschen" (floodgates), side channels with "Ablissen" (water outlets), "Wuhren" (weirs) and small dams made of planks were constructed. The Wässermatten were irrigated several times a year and simultaneously fertilised by manure contained in the water. The main ditches were jointly maintained by members of the Wässermatten cooperatives, while the side ditches were looked after by private individuals. Today, there are some 80 hectares of Wässermatten in the Oberaargau region of the canton of Berne, 15 hectares in the Zofingen-Wiggertal region of Aargau, and a further 20 hectares in the Rottal area of the canton of Lucerne. In all other parts of Switzerland, they have either disappeared completely or are limited to a few small areas. In 1983, the Wässermatten were included in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance.