Mittenwald, Germany may be best known for its violin production (it was introduced to the town in 1684 by Mathias Klotz), but every September the town hosts a cattle and goat drive down from the mountains where the animals have been grazing during the summer and back into the valleys in the surrounding area.
In neighboring Oberstaufen, southwest of Munich, there is an annual cattle drive at the same time.
It's a grand site, and one that seems straight out of the "Sound of Music" meets age-old tradition.
We'd never heard of this before, but it's great to see that in a world that's becoming more and more modern every day, some traditions are still upheld.
Annual Cattle & Goat Drives In Germany
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Open Image ModalHerders dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes drive goats down the Alps in front of the Wettersteinkopf mountain near Mittenwald, Germany. Every year cows, sheep and goats are driven down the mountains in September after they spent about four months on the grazing lands in the Bavarian mountains. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalThe Wettersteinkopf mountain is reflected in the Ferchensee lake. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalA man and a woman watch goats during a goat drive down the Alps in Mittenwald, Germany. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalA woman wearing a Bavarian dirndl dress walks with a decorated cow in Oberstaufen, Germany. Up to 1,200 cattle returned to the valley after spending the summer months in the mountains. The alpine farmers decorate one cow of the herd when all the cows return well from the mountains. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalA woman and a child walk hand in hand as they lead cattle down from the mountains in Oberstaufen, Germany. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalWomen wearing a Bavarian dirndl dresses walk with a decorated cow. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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Open Image Modal(Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)