Valais

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Canton du Valais
Kanton Wallis
Canton of Switzerland
Coat of arms of Canton du Valais Kanton Wallis
Coat of arms
Map of Switzerland, location of Valais highlighted
Location in Switzerland
Map of Valais [show]
Coordinates 464'N 736'ECoordinates 464'N 736'E
Capital Sion
Subdivisions 143 municipalities, 13 districts
Government
Executive Conseil d'tat, Staatsrat (5)
Legislative Grand Council (130)
Area[1]
Total 5,224.25 km2 (2,017.09 sq mi)
Population (122016)[2]
Total 339,176
Density 65km2 (170sq mi)
ISO 3166 code CH-VS
Highest point 4,634 m (15,203 ft) Monte Rosa
Lowest point 372 m (1,220 ft) Lake Geneva
Joined 1815
Languages French, German
Website vs.ch

View of the Matterhorn located in Valais, Switzerland.

The canton of Valais (French pronunciation ?[val?]; German Wallis, German
pronunciation ['val?s] (About this sound listen)) is one of the 26 cantons of
Switzerland, situated in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of
the Rhne from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the
Bernese Alps. The canton is simultaneously one of the driest regions of Switzerland
in its central Rhne valley and among the wettest, having large amounts of snow and
rain up on the highest peaks found in Switzerland. The canton of Valais is widely
known for the Matterhorn and resort towns such as Crans-Montana, Saas Fee and
Zermatt. It is composed of 13 districts (hence the 13 stars on the flag) and its
capital is Sion.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography
3 Political subdivisions
3.1 Districts
3.2 Municipalities
4 Demographics
5 Politics
5.1 Federal election results
6 Economy
6.1 Primary sector
6.2 Secondary sector
6.3 Tertiary sector
7 Transport
8 See also
9 Notes and references
10 External links
History[edit]
Further information Prince-bishopric of Sion and Alpes Poeninae
The Romans called the upper Rhne valley Vallis Poenina. The Vallis Poenina was won
by the Romans after a great fight at Octodurus (Martigny) in 57 BC and became part
of the Gallo-Roman cultural sphere. According to a tradition which can be traced
back to the middle of the 8th century, the Theban legion was martyred at Agaunum
(now Saint Maurice) about 285 or 302. From 888 onwards the lands were part of the
kingdom of Jurane Burgundy.[3]

Valais in 1300
Valais formed part of the kingdom of Transjurane Burgundy, which fell to the Holy
Roman Empire in 1032. It became part of the duchy of Burgundia Minor, which was
held from the emperors by the house of Zhringen (which became extinct in 1218). In
999, King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave all temporal rights and privileges to the
Bishop of Sion, who was later styled praefect and count of Valais and is still a
prince of the Holy Roman Empire. The count-bishops then struggled to defend their
area against the Zhringer and then the dukes of Savoy, so that the medieval
history of Valais is inextricably linked with that of the diocese of Sion. The
Dukes of Savoy, however, succeeded in winning most of the land west of Sion, while
in the upper part of the valley (Upper Valais) there were many feudal lords, such
as the lords of Raron, those of La Tour-Chtillon, and the counts of Visp.[3]

About the middle of the 13th century, the large communities (Zenden or tithings)
began to develop independence and grow in power. The name Zenden or tithings
probably came from a very ancient division of the bishop's manors for
administrative and judicial purposes. In the same century the upper part of the
valley was colonized by Germans from Hasli in the Canton of Bern. The locals became
German speaking, though many Romance local names still remain. In 1354 the
liberties of several of the seven Zenden (Sion, Sierre, Leuk, Raron, Visp, Brig and
Conches) were confirmed by the Emperor Charles IV.[3]

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 crushed the army of the house of La Tour-
Chatillon, and in 1388 utterly defeated the forces of the bishop, the count and his
nobles at Visp. The German-speaking Zenden spread further into the valley. Starting
in 1384 the Morge stream (a little below Sion) was recognized as the boundary
between Savoyard, French-speaking Lower Valais and German-speaking episcopal Upper
Valais.

During the Raron affair rebellion in 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.[4]

The Old Swiss Confederacy from 1291 to the sixteenth century

Following the violence of 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 contintent.

With the election of Walther von Supersax of Conches as bishop in 1457, the German-
speaking part of the valley finally won the supremacy. At the outbreak of the
Burgundian War in 1475 the bishop of Sion and the Zenden made a treaty with Bern.
In November of the same year they seized all Lower or Savoyard Valais up to
Martigny. In March 1476, after the victory of Grandson, they advanced and captured
St Maurice, vian, Thonon and Monthey. They had to give up the last three districts
in 1477, but won them again in 1536. In the treaty of Thonon in 1569, Monthey, Val-
d'llliez and Le Bouveret were permanently annexed to Valais. These conquered
districts in the Lower Valais were always ruled as subject lands by the bishop and
Zenden of the Upper Valais. On March 12, 1529, Valais became an associate member
(Zugewandter Ort) of the Swiss Confederation.[3]

Valais resisted the Protestant Reformation, remaining faithful to the Roman

Catholic Church. In 1628 Valais became a republic, the Rpublique des Sept
DizainsRepublik der Sieben Zehenden, under the guidance of the prince-bishop of
Sion and the bailli. The bishop remained in power until 1798 when Napoleon's troops
invaded Valais and declared a Revolutionary Rpublique du Valais (March 16) which
was swiftly incorporated (May 1) into the Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it
became the separate Rhodanic Republic. In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by
Napoleonic France as the dpartement of Simplon. Independence was restored in 1813,
[5] and on August 4, 1815 Valais finally entered the Swiss confederation as a
canton. In 1845, Valais joined the Catholic separate league (Sonderbund) which led
to what is called the Sonderbund War. 99,000 Swiss Federal troops under General
Henri Dufour were faced by 79,000 Separatists, but in the end Valais chose not to
fight.

Geography[edit]

The Dom (left), Matterhorn (centre) and Weisshorn (right)

A view of the Ltschental valley

The canton of Valais lies in the southwest of Switzerland. To its south lies Italy
(Aosta Valley and Piedmont), to the southwest France (Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes). To the
north the canton is bounded by the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Bern; the cantons of
Uri and Ticino lie to its east.

The wide, glacial Rhne valley dominates the area. There are many side valleys
which branch off the main valley. These vary from narrow and remote to reasonably
populous and popular. At the head of the Mattertal valley lies Zermatt, a pretty
tourist village dominated by views of the Matterhorn (4,478 m). Fifty of the
mountains exceed 4,000 m with the highest, Monte Rosa, reaching 4,634 metres
(15,203 ft), and there are numerous glaciers including several of the largest in
the Alps.

The Rhne drains almost the entire canton and flows in the main valley from east to
west down to Martigny, then in a right angle north to its mouth in Lake Geneva.
After the small town of Saint-Maurice, the north-eastern banks of the river belong
to the canton of Vaud. However two areas are located on the south side of the Alps
and are drained by the Po the valley south of the Simplon Pass and the small area
south of the Great St. Bernard Pass. The main valley is bounded by the Bernese Alps
in the north and the Pennine Alps in the south. Other ranges situated partially in
Valais are the Chablais Alps, the Mont Blanc Massif, the Urner Alps and the
Lepontine Alps. Only about half of the total area is considered productive.

Political subdivisions[edit]
Main article Subdivisions of the canton of Valais
Districts[edit]

Districts in Valais
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 Mnster-Geschinen

stlich Raron (half-district) with capital Mrel-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

Hrens 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[edit]
Main article Municipalities of the canton of Valais
There are 143 municipalities in the canton (As of 2009).[6]

Demographics[edit]