Val d'Anniviers

Geography

Val d'Anniviers is an alpine valley located in Central Valais, Switzerland. It is marked by a strong cultural tradition and is particularly attractive with its impressive mountain scenery. From the Rhone Valley, at Sierre, it opens to the south and separates into two valleys in the upper part, the Val Moiry to the west and the Zinal Valley to the east. A mountain range called Imperial Crown, formed by the Weisshorn (4505 m), Zinalrothorn (4221 m), Obergabelhorn (4063 m), Matterhorn (4477 m) and Dent Blanche (4358 m), closes the valley. The valley attracts lovers of hiking trails in the summer as well as winter sports enthusiasts with beautiful ski areas.

Mountain agriculture, alpine economics and isolation of population has culturally marked the Val d'Anniviers for centuries. Wooden houses browned by the sun, barns, churches, chapels and old mills are reminiscent of ancient traditions and professions. The valley is dotted by numerous hamlets and unspoilt mountain villages. Chandolin village is hung on the sunny side of Val d'Anniviers, at about 2000 m altitude, between mountain pines and larches. This is one of the highest places in Europe to be inhabited all year round. In the nearby village of St-Luc, there is a modern observatory and historic grain mills. On the other side, perched on a terrace overlooking the Rhone valley, Vercorin is appreciated for its pleasant climate and beautiful nature reserve. Ideally located in the center of Val d'Anniviers, strategic crossroads where lords and squires took up residence during the thirteenth century, Vissoie is the medieval village of the valley. In Grimentz, the streets of the old village are lined with old granaries (raccards) and old stone buildings supporting houses made of several hundreds years old larch. At the end of Val d'Anniviers, Zinal is the village of climbers located right at the foot of 4000 m peaks. Finally between these six villages superbly preserved, there are discrete hamlets with strange names (Ayer, Mission, Niouc, Fang, Soussillon ...) that tickle the curiosity, amazing sounds that reflect a past steeped in history, a picturesque aspect, which inevitably leaves no one indifferent.

History

Settled from the Bronze Age, the region will see later its inhabitants practicing nomadism, sharing their lives between plain and mountain. Each village had its headquarters in Sierre where the entire population moved to work the vineyards and fruit growing. The name Anniviers means "Paths of the year" as the natives followed the relief of the seasons. Arable land located on the hillsides overlook the deep valley carved by the Navizence. The latter has shaped before its mouth, deep gorges that made formerly the Val d'Anniviers difficult to access from the plain. This barrier responsible for the isolation of indigenous populations explains the remarkable preservation of the traditions and character of the villages. The construction of a paved road in 1955, the Moiry Dam in 1958 and the development of tourism in the winter during the 60's reduced the isolation of Anniviers and allowed it to enter permanently into the modern world.