We are spending a week in the Valais. It’s the source of the Rhone river (comparable to the Rhine except it flows west instead of north). We’re at around 1300m above sea level, here.
The entire valley goes from east to west. There are mountains to the north, east and south. So in three out of four cardinal directions, the clouds already rained over some mountains. This region has the most sunny days in all of Switzerland.
The Valais has two parts: the upper part is German speaking, the lower part is French speaking. The German speaking part used to lord it over the French speaking part. The region joined Switzerland in 1815.
When I came here, I was about two weeks old. I don’t remember much. We left the Valais when I was at the age of learning to ride a bicycle. When is that? Maybe four years old? Not kindergarten age, in any case.
In the seventies, the Valais got a tunnel through the mountains to connect it to the German speaking rest of Switzerland. I remember my das thinking the locals were extremely backwards. They didn’t understand that he rode the bicycle up the mountain just for fun. They threatened to call the police when they saw him tend his tomatoes on a Sunday (no working on a Sunday, it’s the law!).
A little badmouthing remains. Outside of the Valais, people like to think that they are corrupt. The current and the last FIFA bosses – Blatter and Infantino – are from Valais. Enough said.
People here, on the other hand, like to call everybody from outside the canton “Üsseschwyzer” (people from “outer Switzerland”).
Historically, it was conquered by the Romans in 57 BCE, ended up as part of Burgundy in 888, was handed over to the bishop of Sion in 999 (still the capital), was part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1032, fell under the influence of Savoy, pushed them back and finally managed to conquer the lower parts during the Burgundian wars in 1475. This new, French speaking and subservient region got further expanded in 1536.
With the French Revolution there was a revolt in 1798 against the upper Valais; France conquered the Valais in 1799, founded an independent republic in 1802 and absorbed it in 1810. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815 they joined the Swiss.
#Cantons