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8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Valais site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Valais, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Valais, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox Canton|local_names=La République et Canton du Valais
Der Republik und Kanton Wallis|short_name=Valais
|flag_img_path=Flag of Canton of Valais.svg
|coa_img_path=Valais-coat of arms.svg
|locatormap_img_path=Swiss_Canton_Map_VS.png
|cantonalmap_img_path=Karte_Kanton_Wallis.png
|capital=[Sion, Switzerland
|area=5224|area_rank=3rd|area_scale=9
|population=278,200|population_rank=9th|population_asof=2003
|population_density=53
|since=1815
|abbr=VS
|languages=[French language, [German language
|executive=Conseil d'Etat, Staatsrat|executive_members=5
|legislative=[Grand Conseil, [Grosser Rat|parliament_members=130
|highest=Dufourspitze|highest_m=4634
|municipalities_number=160
|districts_designation=districts, Bezirke|districts_number=13
|coord={{coor title dm|46|14|N|7|36|E|region:CH-VS_type:adm1st-->
|-->The
Valais (
German language: ) is one of the 26
cantons of Switzerland in the south-western part of
Switzerland, around the valley of the
Rhone River from its springs to Lake Geneva, separating the
Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhone valley. Paradoxically it is also one of most well-watered parts, having large amounts of snow and rain up on the highest peaks found in Switzerland. It is perhaps best known world wide for the
Matterhorn.
Geography
image:Mischabelgruppe.jpg Group: Dom, Täschhorn, and Alphubel
The canton of Valais is located in the south of Switzerland. To its south lies
Italy, to the southwest France. To the north the canton is bounded by the Swiss cantons of Vaud and
Canton of Bern; the cantons of
Canton of Uri and
Ticino lie to its east.
The wide, glacial
Rhône River 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 4,000m with the highest, Monte Rosa, reaching to 4,638m (15,217ft), and there are numerous glaciers.
The Rhône drains the main valley from east to west up to Martigny, Switzerland, then in a right angle north to its mouth in the
Lake Geneva. After the small town of Saint-Maurice, Valais, the northern banks of the river belong to the canton of Vaud. The main valley is bound by the
Bernese Alps in the north and the Pennine Alps in the south. Only about half of the total area is considered productive.
Valleys
- North of the Rhone River
- South of the Rhone River:
History
image:Sion notre dame.jpg above the cantonal capital
Sion, SwitzerlandThe Romans called the area
Vallis Poenina (
"Upper Rhône Valley"). From
888 onwards the lands were part of the kingdom of
Burgundians.
Main article: Bishop of Sion.
King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave the lands to the Bishop of Sion in 999, making him Count of the Valais. The count-bishops then struggled to defend their area against the dukes of
Savoy, so that the medieval history of the Valais is inextricably linked with that of the diocese of Sion.
The Valais resisted the
Protestant Reformation, remaining faithful to the
Roman Catholic Church. On
March 12,
1529, Valais became an associate member (
Zugewandter Ort) of the Swiss Confederation. In 1628 the Valais became technically a republic, the
République des Sept Dizains / Republik 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 the Valais and declared a Revolutionary
République du Valais (March 16) which was swiftly incorporated (May 1) into the Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it became the independent
Rhodanic Republic. In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by Napoleonic France as the
Simplon (département). Independence was restored in 1813 and on
August 4,
1815 the Valais finally entered the Swiss confederation as a canton. In
1845 the Valais joined the Catholic separatist league (
Sonderbund), but chose not to fight the troops of the confederation in 1847 and submitted to the federal forces.
Economy
image:Wine grapes03.jpgimage:Zermatt_summerski.jpgWine production and
tourism are some of the main industries of the canton. The Matterhorn near Zermatt is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Swiss mountains, as is its sister valley immediately east Saas Fee. Other parts of the mountains of the canton further west are popular as well, such as the more French speaking resorts near
Verbier and the Evolene & Arolla region. The resorts on the north side of the main Rhone river valley are popular, looking out southwards towards the Peninne Alps and still part of the southern slope of the
Bernese Alps, such as the family oriented resort of
Crans-Montana. The resorts in the Goms region are slightly less known, yet also receive attention during the summer hiking season and the winter ski season.
Apart from tourism, agriculture is still important, particularly cattle breeding in the mountains and
dairy farming in the plains. The wine industry of the canton is the largest in Switzerland. There are also a large number orchards in the area, and
saffron is also gathered here.
Europe's tallest gravity dam is located at Grande Dixence Dam in the canton. Hydroelectric power plants from the canton produce about a quarter of the Swiss electricity.
Near
Visp there is a large plant of aluminium manufacturing. Other metal products and chemicals are produced around Visp and Sierre. There is an oil refinery in the canton.
Despite the thriving tourist industry, high level of infrastructure, and the many vineyards, canton Valais is still one of the poorest of the Swiss cantons, and not yet near the wealthier banking/financial cantons. A large portion of the canton's land and houses is now owned by foreigners.
The mountainous canton with a plethora of ski resorts, was narrowly passed over in the bid for the
2006 Winter Olympics.
Transport
image:valais.jpeg valley running through the middle of the ValaisA small airport is located at Sion, Switzerland, but the main routes of transport are rail and road. Both networks are extensive and benefit from tourism. There are two major rail tunnels at the
Simplon Pass (Simplon Tunnel) and Lötschberg (Lötschberg Tunnel) and a road tunnel at the Great St Bernard. Many of the road passes are well known, such as the Grimsel Pass. The longest land tunnel in the world, the
Lötschberg Base Tunnel, will soon be in operation, in late 2007 perhaps, connecting by rail the town of Frutigen in Canton of Berne, with the town of Visp in canton Valais/Wallis. This is to better allay car traffic in the highly scenic
Kandersteg, and also to provide faster transport through the
Bernese Alps from the populous Mittelland in the north to the southern canton of Valais. Cars may be loaded onto the trains as freight. The old train line will still likely have traffic though, as it has highly scenic sections in both cantons on either side of the old tunnel through the dividing ridgeline, yet is somewhat slower than the new route which has a much longer tunnel section.
Because of the tourism there are many mountain railways and cable cars in the mountains. The scenic rail route across the Furka Pass originates in the canton of Valais.
Demographics
Valais is predominantly French language and
Arpitan speaking. The eastern part of the canton Upper Valais, however, speaks
Walliser German. The French speaking population makes up a little bit more than two thirds of the total population.
The whole canton is thinly populated. The largest towns are the capital Sion (
Sitten), Sierre and Brig. There is no major city located in the canton. Over 90% of the population is
Roman Catholic.
image:Loetschental.jpgimage:Hauteroute-alps-seabhcan.jpg traversing the
Pennine Alps between
Chamonix and the Valaisimage:MonteRosaWestseite gesehenVomGornergrat.JPGimage:Allalin.jpg
image:Img0644.jpeg
Towns and villages
Municipalities
The following are the municipalities of Switzerland of the canton, by district.
{||----- valign="top" style="font-size:small"|
Brig (district)
Conthey (district)
Entremont (district)
Goms (district)
Hérens (district)
|
Leuk (district)
Martigny (district)
Monthey (district)
Raron (district)
|
Saint-Maurice (district)
Sierre (district)
Sion (district)
Visp (district)
|}
See also
External links
- Cantonal government
- Tourist office
- Photo database
- Official statistics
{{Infobox Canton|local_names=La République et Canton du Valais
Der Republik und Kanton Wallis|short_name=Valais
|flag_img_path=Flag of Canton of Valais.svg
|coa_img_path=Valais-coat of arms.svg
|locatormap_img_path=Swiss_Canton_Map_VS.png
|cantonalmap_img_path=Karte_Kanton_Wallis.png
|capital=[Sion, Switzerland
|area=5224|area_rank=3rd|area_scale=9
|population=278,200|population_rank=9th|population_asof=2003
|population_density=53
|since=1815
|abbr=VS
|languages=[French language, [German language
|executive=Conseil d'Etat, Staatsrat|executive_members=5
|legislative=[Grand Conseil, [Grosser Rat|parliament_members=130
|highest=Dufourspitze|highest_m=4634
|municipalities_number=160
|districts_designation=districts, Bezirke|districts_number=13
|coord={{coor title dm|46|14|N|7|36|E|region:CH-VS_type:adm1st-->
|-->The
Valais (
German language: ) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the south-western part of
Switzerland, around the valley of the
Rhone River from its springs to
Lake Geneva, separating the
Pennine Alps from the
Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhone valley. Paradoxically it is also one of most well-watered parts, having large amounts of snow and rain up on the highest peaks found in Switzerland. It is perhaps best known world wide for the Matterhorn.
Geography
image:Mischabelgruppe.jpg Group: Dom, Täschhorn, and Alphubel
The canton of Valais is located in the south of Switzerland. To its south lies Italy, to the southwest
France. To the north the canton is bounded by the Swiss cantons of
Vaud and
Canton of Bern; the cantons of
Canton of Uri and
Ticino lie to its east.
The wide, glacial Rhône River 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 4,000m with the highest,
Monte Rosa, reaching to 4,638m (15,217ft), and there are numerous glaciers.
The Rhône drains the main valley from east to west up to Martigny, Switzerland, then in a right angle north to its mouth in the Lake Geneva. After the small town of
Saint-Maurice, Valais, the northern banks of the river belong to the canton of Vaud. The main valley is bound by the
Bernese Alps in the north and the
Pennine Alps in the south. Only about half of the total area is considered productive.
Valleys
- North of the Rhone River
- South of the Rhone River:
History
image:Sion notre dame.jpg above the cantonal capital
Sion, SwitzerlandThe Romans called the area
Vallis Poenina (
"Upper Rhône Valley"). From 888 onwards the lands were part of the kingdom of
Burgundians.
Main article: Bishop of Sion.
King
Rudolph III of Burgundy gave the lands to the Bishop of Sion in 999, making him Count of the Valais. The count-bishops then struggled to defend their area against the dukes of Savoy, so that the medieval history of the Valais is inextricably linked with that of the diocese of Sion.
The Valais resisted the
Protestant Reformation, remaining faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. On
March 12, 1529, Valais became an associate member (
Zugewandter Ort) of the
Swiss Confederation. In 1628 the Valais became technically a republic, the
République des Sept Dizains / Republik 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 the Valais and declared a Revolutionary
République du Valais (March 16) which was swiftly incorporated (May 1) into the
Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it became the independent
Rhodanic Republic. In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by Napoleonic France as the
Simplon (département). Independence was restored in 1813 and on August 4,
1815 the Valais finally entered the Swiss confederation as a canton. In 1845 the Valais joined the Catholic separatist league (
Sonderbund), but chose not to fight the troops of the confederation in
1847 and submitted to the federal forces.
Economy
image:Wine grapes03.jpgimage:Zermatt_summerski.jpgWine production and
tourism are some of the main industries of the canton. The Matterhorn near Zermatt is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Swiss mountains, as is its sister valley immediately east
Saas Fee. Other parts of the mountains of the canton further west are popular as well, such as the more French speaking resorts near
Verbier and the
Evolene &
Arolla region. The resorts on the north side of the main Rhone river valley are popular, looking out southwards towards the Peninne Alps and still part of the southern slope of the Bernese Alps, such as the family oriented resort of
Crans-Montana. The resorts in the Goms region are slightly less known, yet also receive attention during the summer hiking season and the winter ski season.
Apart from tourism, agriculture is still important, particularly cattle breeding in the mountains and
dairy farming in the plains. The wine industry of the canton is the largest in Switzerland. There are also a large number orchards in the area, and saffron is also gathered here.
Europe's tallest gravity dam is located at
Grande Dixence Dam in the canton. Hydroelectric power plants from the canton produce about a quarter of the Swiss electricity.
Near
Visp there is a large plant of aluminium manufacturing. Other metal products and chemicals are produced around Visp and Sierre. There is an oil refinery in the canton.
Despite the thriving tourist industry, high level of infrastructure, and the many vineyards, canton Valais is still one of the poorest of the Swiss cantons, and not yet near the wealthier banking/financial cantons. A large portion of the canton's land and houses is now owned by foreigners.
The mountainous canton with a plethora of ski resorts, was narrowly passed over in the bid for the
2006 Winter Olympics.
Transport
image:valais.jpeg valley running through the middle of the ValaisA small airport is located at
Sion, Switzerland, but the main routes of transport are rail and road. Both networks are extensive and benefit from tourism. There are two major rail tunnels at the Simplon Pass (Simplon Tunnel) and Lötschberg (Lötschberg Tunnel) and a road tunnel at the Great St Bernard. Many of the road passes are well known, such as the Grimsel Pass. The longest land tunnel in the world, the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, will soon be in operation, in late 2007 perhaps, connecting by rail the town of
Frutigen in
Canton of Berne, with the town of Visp in canton Valais/Wallis. This is to better allay car traffic in the highly scenic Kandersteg, and also to provide faster transport through the
Bernese Alps from the populous Mittelland in the north to the southern canton of Valais. Cars may be loaded onto the trains as freight. The old train line will still likely have traffic though, as it has highly scenic sections in both cantons on either side of the old tunnel through the dividing ridgeline, yet is somewhat slower than the new route which has a much longer tunnel section.
Because of the tourism there are many mountain railways and cable cars in the mountains. The scenic rail route across the Furka Pass originates in the canton of Valais.
Demographics
Valais is predominantly French language and Arpitan speaking. The eastern part of the canton Upper Valais, however, speaks
Walliser German. The French speaking population makes up a little bit more than two thirds of the total population.
The whole canton is thinly populated. The largest towns are the capital Sion (
Sitten), Sierre and Brig. There is no major city located in the canton. Over 90% of the population is
Roman Catholic.
image:Loetschental.jpg
image:Hauteroute-alps-seabhcan.jpg traversing the Pennine Alps between Chamonix and the Valais
image:MonteRosaWestseite gesehenVomGornergrat.JPGimage:Allalin.jpgimage:Img0644.jpeg
Towns and villages
Municipalities
The following are the municipalities of Switzerland of the canton, by district.
{||----- valign="top" style="font-size:small"|
Brig (district)
Conthey (district)
Entremont (district)
Goms (district)
Hérens (district)
- Ayent
- Evolène
- Hérémence
- Les Agettes
- Mase, Switzerland
- Nax
- Saint-Martin, Valais
- Vernamiège
- Vex, Switzerland
|
Leuk (district)
Martigny (district)
Monthey (district)
Raron (district)
|
Saint-Maurice (district)
Sierre (district)
Sion (district)
Visp (district)
|}
See also
External links
- Cantonal government
- Tourist office
- Photo database
- Official statistics
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