Suitable for the Mountains of Graubünden as Well as Bhutan - The Schnauser Plough

Those who demarcated borders in the past often did not use a ruler on a map; instead, they drew borders based on natural boundaries. For instance, the border between the municipalities of Schnaus and Rueun near Ilanz was a mountain brook. For Arnold Giger, however, this border did not pose an obstacle. In 1877, he built a workshop on the Schnauser side of the border. Yet, he was not permitted to erect a waterwheel or build a channel for it on this side. Thus, he constructed the power source for his machines 75 metres away from the workshop – on the other side of the brook, which belonged to Rueun.

In addition, Arnold Giger had other innovative ideas: he invented the so-called Schnauser plough, which significantly eased the lives of mountain farmers. This plough cut and turned the soil in a single pass and was much more durable than conventional wooden ploughs, thanks to its combination of iron and wood.

In 1908, Giger's sons took over the workshop and continued to further develop the plough. They produced and delivered an estimated 3,000 Schnauser ploughs. After the Second World War, the workshop’s output declined, as did the cultivation of arable land, which had flourished one last time during the battle of the fields—a national plan to increase arable land during the war years. The Giger brothers' workshop has survived to this day. And perhaps some Schnauser ploughs are still in use: in the 1970s, they were even exported to distant countries such as Bolivia and the Kingdom of Bhutan.