Valais
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Canton of Valais | |
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Canton du Valais (French) Kanton Wallis (German) | |
Anthem: Notre Valais/Wallis, unser Heimatland ("Our Valais/Wallis, our homeland") | |
Joined | 1815 |
Languages | French, German |
Website | www |
Valais (UK: /ˈvæleɪ/ VAL-ay, US: /væˈleɪ/ val-AY, French: [valɛ] ⓘ),[a] more formally the Canton of Valais,[b] is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion.
Valais is situated in the southwestern part of the country. It borders the cantons of
Valais essentially coincides with the valley of the
has become an iconic landmark of the canton.In 1529, Valais became an associate member of the
Name
The canton is also officially referred to by its long name République et canton du Valais (French) or Republik und Kanton Wallis (German).[4] This translates into Republic and Canton of Valais.[5]
History
The Romans called the upper Rhône valley
Valais formed part of the kingdom of Transjurane Burgundy, which fell to the
About the middle of the 13th century, the large communities (Zenden or
By the late 14th century, the counts of Savoy acquired the bishopric of Sion. The Zenden resisted his attempts to gather both spiritual and secular power in the valley. In 1375–76, Zenden forces defeated the army of the house of La Tour-Chatillon, and in 1388 routed the forces of the bishop, the count, and his nobles at Visp. The
During the Raron affair rebellion from 1414 to 1420, some cantons of the Swiss Confederation took sides in the conflict. Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden supported the Upper Valais rebels, while Bern supported the noble Raron family. The uprising was successful in driving out the Rarons and almost brought the Confederation to civil war.[7]
Following the Raron affair, the canton was the location of the Valais witch trials between 1428 and 1447 in which at least 367 men and women were put to death. This event marks one of the earliest witch scares in late medieval Europe. The phenomenon later spread to other parts of the continent.
With the election of Walther II. Supersaxo von der Fluhe (from
In the early 17th century, the aristocratic governors of the districts in the Upper Valais pressured the prince-bishop of Sion to abdicate secular power, which was achieved temporarily in 1613 and then permanently in 1634, when the country became the federal
In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by the
The beginning of the modern history of Valais essentially coincides with the exploration of the High Alps, the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 marking the end of the golden age of alpinism. The boom of tourism followed in the late 19th century. In 1878, the Simplon Railway connected Brig, the last town before the Simplon Pass, from Lausanne and Geneva and other major cities of the Swiss Plateau.
Geography
Valais is the third largest canton of Switzerland by area. It is also one of its westernmost and southernmost cantons while being adjacent to central Switzerland. With a few exceptions, it lies almost entirely in the Rhône basin, more precisely in the wide Alpine Rhône Valley, above Lake Geneva. The main settlements are all along the Rhône or in its proximity, the largest city being Sion, followed by Martigny, Monthey, Sierre, and Brig-Glis. The canton is traditionally divided into three regions: Lower Valais (French: Bas-Valais), Central Valais (French: Valais central), and Upper Valais (German: Oberwallis), with the linguistic border of the canton being at Pfynwald, between the two latter regions. While the more populous Lower and Central Valais are French-speaking, Upper Valais is German-speaking.
The Rhône Valley is a central Alpine valley, i.e. it lies well within the Alps and is shut off from both northern and southern plains. Valais is separated from the
Valais is the
Lake Geneva is the only truly large lake in the canton, although only a small fraction of it (about 10 km2) is in Valais, the plain of the Rhône comprehending only small lakes. There are however numerous sizable lakes in the high Alps, mostly artificial. The largest is
Due to the high mountains surrounding the plains of the Rhône, the climate of central Valais is particularly dry, much drier than in
The canton is renowned for its numerous towns and villages in the high Alps. In the Mattertal and adjoining Saastal are
The area of the canton is 5,224 square kilometres (2,017 sq mi) and only about half of the total area is considered productive. Valais shares borders with four other cantons: to the north are the cantons of Vaud and Bern and to the east are the cantons of Uri and Ticino. The canton shares international borders as well: to the south are the Italian regions of Aosta Valley and Piedmont and to the west is the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.[16]
Political subdivisions
Districts
Valais is divided into 13 districts, with the district of Raron being further divided into two half-districts. The districts are listed here in geographical order:
Upper Valais:
- Goms with capital Münster-Geschinen
- Östlich Raron (half-district) with capital Mörel-Filet
- Brig with capital Brig-Glis
- Visp with capital Visp
- Westlich Raron (half-district) with capital Raron
- Leuk with capital Leuk
Central Valais:
- Sierre with capital Sierre
- Hérens with capital Vex
- Sion with capital Sion
- Conthey with capital Conthey
Lower Valais:
- Entremont with capital Sembrancher
- Martigny with capital Martigny
- Saint-Maurice with capital Saint-Maurice
- Monthey with capital Monthey
Municipalities
There are 122 municipalities in the canton (as of January 2021).[17]
Demographics
The western part of Valais (Central and Lower Valais) is French-speaking, while the eastern part (Upper Valais) is German-speaking. The language border crosses the Rhône between the towns of
The canton is sparsely populated. Its population (as of 31 December 2020) is 348,503.
Historical population
The historical population is given in the following table:
Historic Population Data[21] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Total Population | Swiss | Non-Swiss | Population share of total country |
1850 | 81 559 | 79 871 | 1 688 | 3.4% |
1880 | 100 190 | 97 134 | 3 056 | 3.5% |
1900 | 114 438 | 106 220 | 8 218 | 3.5% |
1950 | 159 178 | 154 179 | 4 999 | 3.4% |
1970 | 206 563 | 185 309 | 21 254 | 3.3% |
2000 | 272 399 | 225 356 | 47 043 | 3.7% |
2020 | 348,503 | 4.0% |
Politics
Federal election results
Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the National Council Elections 1971-2015[22] | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Ideology | 1971 | 1975 | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1995 | 1999 | 2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | |
FDP.The Liberalsa
|
Classical liberalism | 19.3 | 18.9 | 22.7 | 25.2 | 24.6 | 25.9 | 24.2 | 18.8 | 17.1 | 16.0 | 18.8 | 18.1 | |
CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD | Christian democracy | 61.5 | 59.7 | 58.8 | 57.5 | 58.7 | 54.3 | 54.8 | 51.4 | 47.9 | 44.9 | 39.9 | 39.8 | |
SP/PS | Social democracy | 15.4 | 17.4 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 16.6 | 16.9 | 19.1 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 13.3 | |
SVP/UDC | Swiss nationalism |
* b | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9.0 | 13.4 | 16.6 | 19.7 | 22.1 | |
LPS/PLS | Swiss liberalism |
* | * | 0.8 | * | * | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 | * | 1.0 | * | * | |
CSP/PCS | Christian left | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.4 | |
BDP/PBD | Conservatism | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 0.6 | * | |
PdA/PST-POP/PC/PSL | Socialism | * | * | * | * | * | * | 0.9 | * | * | * | * | * | |
GPS/PES | Green politics | * | * | * | * | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.9 | |
Other | 3.8 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 3.2 | 0.6 | * | * | * | * | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | ||
Voter participation % | 67.2 | 66.6 | 65.7 | 65.3 | 59.6 | 60.3 | 55.0 | 52.7 | 53.6 | 59.8 | 61.8 | 59.8 |
- ^a FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
- ^b "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
Economy
Primary sector
Wines and fruit brandies, such as Poire Williams, are some of the main production of the canton. Agriculture is often irrigated, notably through small open-air wooden canals bringing the water from the glaciers above.[23] These are called bisses in French and Suonen in German. They also constitute popular hiking routes because of their low declivity. Vineyards are grown on terraces, typically on the south-facing slopes overlooking the Rhône Valley, where they have become an integral part of the landscape. The wine industry of the canton is the largest in Switzerland.[24] There are also a large number orchards in the area, among which apricot trees. The apricot has become the emblematic fruit of the canton.[25] In Mund, saffron is also gathered.
Agriculture in Valais also consists of cattle breeding in the mountains and dairy farming in the plains. The canton is notable for its cheese and dried meat production. The Hérens cattle are also used in organised cow fights.
Secondary sector
Europe's tallest gravity dam is located at Grande Dixence in the canton, closely followed by the Mauvoisin Dam. Hydroelectric power plants from the canton produce about a quarter of Swiss electricity.
The west part and the most industrial region of the canton is called Chablais. The area is very important for the economy. The lands from Lake Geneva to the town of St-Maurice are located in the Chablais. There are a lot of factories, the most important are the subsidiaries of Novartis and Syngenta, in Monthey. In the town of Collombey-Muraz, there is an oil refinery.
The Lonza Group has large factories in Visp. Near Visp there is a large aluminium processing plant. Other metal products and chemicals are produced around Visp and Sierre, including Swiss Diamond International aluminum cookware.
Tertiary sector
Valais has a long touristic tradition.[citation needed] Hoteliers were at the base of the development of Valais Tourism. Many of them, such as César Ritz, spent time and money to satisfy a clientele from around the world.[citation needed] The canton is nowadays a year-round destination, renowned for its wild landscapes and numerous tourist facilities. In winter, skiing and other snow-related sports are the most popular activities. In summer, hiking and trekking are particularly popular.[citation needed] Climbing and mountaineering can be practised year-round, with the highest mountains of western Europe surrounding Valais. Many of the huts owned by the Swiss Alpine Club are located in the canton.
Valais counts more than 120 winter and summer destinations, including:
- Aletsch (UNESCO World Heritage): Bettmeralp, Fiescheralp, Riederalp
- Visp and surrounding area: Visperterminen, Bürchen, Eischoll, Stalden, Törbel, Unterbäch
- Zermatt with Matterhorn and the largest summer ski area of Switzerland, on the southern slopes of Breithorn reachable from the cable car station of the Klein Matterhorn
- , the second largest summer ski area in Switzerland
- Leukerbad
- Crans-Montana
- Saint-Martin
- 4 Vallées ski area: Nendaz, Verbier, Veysonnaz, Thyon-Les Collons, Mayens-de-Riddes/La Tzoumaz
- St. Gingolph
- St. Bernard Region: Les Marécottes, Bruson, La Fouly, Champex, Vichères-Liddes
The
Transport
The only natural low-elevation access to Valais is via the banks of Lake Geneva, which have several railways and highways leading towards Martigny, Sion, and the rest of the canton. The major axis is on the north side of the lake and passes via Lausanne and Vevey in the canton of Vaud. From there runs the A9 motorway and the Simplon Railway, ultimately leading to Italy via the Simplon Pass and Simplon Tunnel respectively. On the south side of Lake Geneva, from the French border, is only a highway and the historical Tonkin Railway, now operating in Valais only.[citation needed]
The canton is surrounded by high mountains, but some major mountain passes connect it with the rest of Europe. The main road passes are the
The Lötschberg, together with the Simplon, is one of the main north–south axes of Switzerland. The historical
Another railway axis connects Valais with central and eastern Switzerland. This is a metre-gauge railway owned by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, which ultimately leads to Disentis and Chur, from Zermatt via Visp and Brig. The main railway goes through the Furka Base Tunnel in the extreme east of the canton, with the older Furka Summit Tunnel being popular for its highly scenic sections as well. The Glacier Express directly connects Zermatt with St. Moritz, using both Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway network.
The canton comprehends a road network, with elevations ranging from that of Lake Geneva at
Because of tourism, there are many railways and cable cars in the mountains. Railways serving side valleys are the
cable car are respectively the highest open-air railway and highest public transport in Europe.The Valais has two ports on Lake Geneva served by the
Culture
The size and particular geographical situation of the canton within the Alps helped Valais develop a culture that is distinct from that of the cantons of the Swiss Plateau and the northern Alpine foothills. As a bilingual canton, Valais itself includes some cultural diversity as well. The most common denominator is a strong mountain culture, symbolized by the archetypal tenacious and austere mountain dweller facing the difficult conditions and dangers of nature.[26][27]
The people of Valais, from the warlike races that originally inhabited it, are strong and vigorous; they were able, with their remarkable endurance, to make the most of natural resources, the possession of which today assures them an honorable place as much as they deserve among the other better-off peoples of ancient Helvetia. Through its economic development and its commendable progress in all areas of human activity, Valais, faithful to its traditions as well as to its faith, has managed to keep the austerity of ancestral mores, its customs, its naive legends, its rustic costumes, everything that today constitutes its character and originality.[28]
— Solandieu
Monuments
Many monuments dot the Valais landscape. The best known are the
. In the valley of Goms, are also several notable baroque churches. Contemporary religious architecture has also given rise to interesting buildings, such as the works of the Genevan architect Jean-Marie Ellenberger (1913-1988) in Sierre (Sainte-Croix church) or Verbier.In the civil architecture, two hospices, each located at one of the passes leading to Italy, formerly provided food for pilgrims who went to Rome and travelers in general: the
Visible from central Valais, the statue of Christ the King in Lens recalls the Catholic tradition of the canton.
Among the most important museums in the canton, the
Gastronomy
Traditional food products of Valais are wines, cheeses,
See also
- Le Nouvelliste
- Franco-Provençal language
- List of mountains of Valais
Notes
References
- ^ Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017
- ^ a b "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Statistik, Bundesamt für (2021-01-21). "Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) nach Grossregion und Kanton - 2008-2018 | Tabelle". Bundesamt für Statistik (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ Used on the government website vs.ch
- ^ "Mont Blanc Transboundary Conference". www.espace-mont-blanc.com.
- ^ a b c d public domain: Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Valais". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). pp. 839–840. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Raron Affair in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Tithings in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Valais in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Simplon (department) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Swiss records Archived 2021-04-18 at the Wayback Machine, Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, "Dryest location: Stalden-Ackersand (VS); 700 m asl; 545 mm"
- ^ Switzerland's gravity-defying solution, BBC, 22 July 2021, ("The sight of a scuttling scorpion is a clue to the Valais semi-arid climate, where six species of cactus thrive, alongside figs and snakes.")
- ^ Christian Moser, Les bisses du Valais : mythes et réalités, Société de Géographie de Genève, 11 July 2020 ("Si cette zone climatique que les géographes qualifient de semi-aride permet des cultures de céréales sans recours à l’irrigation, elle ne convient toutefois pas à une production intensive de fourrage indispensable à un élevage bovin.")
- ^ Reynard E. (1995). L’irrigation par les bisses en Valais. Approche géographique, in : Les Bisses, Actes du Colloque international sur les bisses, Sion, 15-18 septembre 1994, Annales valaisannes, 70, p. 50. ("Le climat des stations les plus sèches du Valais n'est donc pas aride selon la classification de MARTONNE")
- ^ Michel Desfayes, Les opuntias du Valais, un problème épineux. Bulletin de la Murithienne, 2007, no. 125, p. 29-40
- ^ Swisstopo topographic maps
- ^ "Liste officielle des communes de la Suisse - 01.01.2008". Office fédéral de la statistique. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Georges Lüdi, Iwar Werlen (Hrsg.):Sprachlandschaft in der Schweiz. Bundesamt für Statistik, Neuchâtel, April 2005.
- ^ Federal Department of Statistics (2008). "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit, Geschlecht und Kantonen". Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 2008-12-15. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
- ^ "Kirchenmitgliedschaft in der römisch-katholischen und evangelisch-reformierten Kirche nach Kantonen (2017)" (Table 1.4 on the lower part of the page) (in German). SPI St. Gallen. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
- ^ "Wallis". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in German). Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ Nationalratswahlen: Stärke der Parteien nach Kantonen (Schweiz = 100%) (Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Switzerland's gravity-defying solution".
- ^ Valais Wine wine-searcher.com
- ^ The Prince of the Valais orchard, valais.ch
- ^ Albert Duruz ("Solandieu") (1910). Le Valais pittoresque. Léon Martinet. p. 68.
Le simple montagnard y combat d'une façon merveilleuse l'aridité du terrain. Son caractère tenace et persévérant, joint à une expérience de chaque jour, à l'observation des lieux, et, l'emploi traditionnel de moyens primitifs et ingénieux, a suffi pour réaliser un travail dont la hardiesse nous frappe de respect et d'étonnement.
[The simple mountain dweller fights the aridity of the terrain in a marvelous way. His tenacious and persevering character, combined with daily experience, observation of nature, and the traditional use of primitive and ingenious means, was enough to carry out a work whose boldness strikes us with respect and astonishment.] - ^ Marie Trolliet ("Mario") (1893). Le génie des Alpes valaisannes. Attinger frères. p. 235.
Pas rimailleur, le montagnard valaisan ne chante pas, et siffle encore moins. Pour avoir l'âme ouverte à la poésie, sa voix n'en reste pas moins muette. Ni chants de bravoure, ni chants d'armaillis n'égaient les monotonies de sa marche.
[Not a rhymester, the Valais mountain dweller does not sing, and whistles even less. To have a soul open to poetry, his voice remains silent. Neither songs of bravery nor songs of armaillis brighten the monotony of his march.] - ^ Albert Duruz ("Solandieu"), Légendes valaisannes, Léon Martinet, Lausanne (1910), translation of "Le peuple du Valais, issu des races guerrières qui l'habitèrent à l'origine, est fort et vigoureux; il a su, avec sa remarquable endurance, tirer tout le parti possible des ressources naturelles, dont la possession lui assure aujourd'hui une place honorable autant que méritée parmi les autres peuples mieux favorisés, de l'antique Helvétie. À travers son évolution économique et ses louables progrès dans tous les domaines de l'activité humaine, le Valais, fidèle à ses traditions comme à sa foi, a su garder l'austérité de mœurs ancestrales, ses coutumes, ses naïves légendes, ses agrestes costumes, tout ce qui, aujourd'hui, constitue son caractère et son originalité."
- ^ "Sion". hls-dhs-dss.ch. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
External links
- Cantonal government (in French and German)
- Official information from Valais/Wallis Promotion
- Official statistics