Valais

Valais (in

French

) ( , , ; frp, Valês), or Wallis (in

German

) (german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the

Swiss Confederation

. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is

Sion

. The flag of the canton is made of thirteen stars representing the districts, on a white-red background.

Valais is situated in the southwestern part of

the country

. It borders the cantons of Vaud and Bern to the north, the cantons of Uri and Ticino to the east, as well as

Italy

to the south and

France

to the west. It is one of the three large southern

Alpine

cantons, along with Ticino and the Grisons. It is a bilingual canton,

French

and

German

being its two official languages. Traditionally, the canton is divided into Lower, Central and Upper Valais, the latter region constituting the German-speaking minority.

Valais essentially coincides with the valley of the

Rhône

from its headwaters to

Lake Geneva

, separating the Pennine Alps from the

Bernese Alps

. A major wine region, the canton is simultaneously one of the driest regions of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley and among the wettest, having large amounts of snow and rain up on the highest peaks found in Switzerland, such as

Monte Rosa

and the

Finsteraarhorn

. Although a major hydroelectricity producer, Valais is essentially renowned for its tourism industry and for its numerous Alpine resort towns, notably

Crans-Montana

,

Saas Fee

,

Verbier

and

Zermatt

. Overlooking the latter town, the

Matterhorn

has become an iconic landmark of the canton.

In 1529, Valais became an associate member of the Swiss Confederation. After having resisted the Protestant Reformation and remained faithful to the

Roman Catholic Church

, it became a republic under the guidance of the prince-bishop of Sion in 1628. In 1815, Valais finally entered the Swiss Confederation as a canton.

History

The Romans called the upper Rhône valley '' Vallis Poenina''. The ''Vallis Poenina'' was won by the Romans after a great fight at Octodurus (now known as 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.

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 Zähringen (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 Zähringer 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

(Lower Valais), 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-Châtillon, and the counts of Visp.

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( de) 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

.

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.

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 continent.

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,

Évian

, 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 ruled as subject lands by the bishop and the Tithings of the Upper Valais until 1798. On March 12, 1529, Valais became an associate member (''Zugewandter Ort'') of the Swiss Confederation.

In the early 17th century, the aristocratic governors of the districts in the Upper Valais preassured 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 Republic of the Seven Tithings under the rule of a ''Landeshauptmann''. The republic in its original form existed until 1798, when the districts of the Lower Valais, until then ruled as subjects, successfully revolted against the Seven Tithings and achieved equal status within the republic. During the French invasion of the Swiss Confederacy in the same year, Valais was incorporated into the Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it became the separate Rhodanic Republic.

In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by the First French Empire as the departement of Simplon. The department was occupied by Austrian troops in late 1813, and on 4 August 1815 Valais finally entered the Swiss Confederation as a canton. In 1845, Valais joined the Catholic separatist 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.

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 making 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 it is shut off from both northern and southern plains. Valais is separated from the

Swiss Plateau

to the north by the

Bernese Alps

and from the Po plains to the south by the

Valais Alps

, respectively north and south of the Rhône. Valais is also one of the three large southern cantons lying partially in the Po basin, therefore south of the Alps, along with Ticino and the Grisons. However, contrary to those two cantons, very few settlements are on the south side of the Alps, and they are all well above the plains. The largest regions not drained by the Rhône are the

Simplon Valley

(Po basin) and two uninhabited areas north of the Sanetsch and the Gemmi Pass (

Rhine

basin).

Valais is the highest canton in term of absolute, relative and mean elevation. Therefore, its topography is extremely rugged, with the notable exception of the wide, glacial, Rhône valley. The latter valley dominates the geography of the canton. There are many side valleys branching off the main valley, often perpendicularly. These vary from narrow and remote to reasonably populous. On the south side on the Rhône, in the Valais Alps, some of the largest side valleys are (from east to west): the Mattertal (including the Saastal), the

Val d'Anniviers

, the

Val d'Hérens

, the Val de Bagnes and the

Val d'Entremont

. On the north of the Rhône, in the Bernese Alps, the

Lötschental

is the only large valley. East of Brig is the valley of Goms, the highest section of the Rhône Valley. The Rhône itself flows in the main valley from east to west from the Rhône Glacier down to Martigny, then in a right angle north to its mouth in Lake Geneva. After the town of Saint-Maurice, the eastern banks of the river belong to the canton of Vaud, although the western banks remain in Valais, down to Le Bouveret, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The main valley is bounded by the Bernese Alps in the north and the Valais Alps in the south, both ranges including numerous over 4,000 metre-high mountains, which are the highest in the country. Notables mountains include

Monte Rosa

(highest), reaching , and the

Finsteraarhorn

(most prominent), reaching . Other iconic mountains are the

Matterhorn

and the

Jungfrau

, for a complete list, see list of mountains of Valais. Located there are numerous glaciers including several of the largest in the Alps, such as the

Aletsch Glacier

and the Gorner Glacier. Other ranges situated partially in Valais are the

Chablais Alps

, the

Mont Blanc Massif

, the Uri Alps, the Gotthard Massif and the Lepontine Alps.

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

Lac des Dix

, closely followed by the

Lac d'Emosson

. Other large high-elevation lakes are

Lac de Mauvoisin

,

Mattmarksee

,

lac de Salanfe

,

Lac de Moiry

and

Lac de Tseuzier

(see list of mountain lakes of Switzerland for a more complete list). All these lakes are used for hydroelectricity production, but they are also popular for their scenic views over the Alps.

Due to the high mountains surrounding the plains of the Rhône, the climate of central Valais is particularly dry, much drier than in the rest of Switzerland. While locations at high elevations are highly exposed to rainfall and snowfall, average rainfall per year is only about 600 mm in Sion, corresponding to 50% of that of

Lucerne

(north of the Alps) and 30% of that of

Locarno

(south of the Alps). Officially, the driest location in Valais and Switzerland is

Stalden

, with 545 mm of rainfall per year. Valais is often described as "semi-arid", although it is not in the climatic sense of the term. Therefore, in some areas, such as Les Follatères, are found plants that are uncommon or absent in the rest of Switzerland, such as cactuses. On the lower south-facing slopes of the Bernese Alps, numerous vineyards are cultivated, between Fully and Leuk. Unlike in the rest the of the country, irrigated agriculture is common in Valais.

The canton is renowned for its numerous towns and villages in the high Alps. In the Mattertal and adjoining Saastal are

Zermatt

and

Saas Fee

. Other popular resorts are

Verbier

, Les Marécottes, Champéry,

Grimentz

,

Zinal

,

Anzère

,

Crans-Montana

,

Evolène

,

Leukerbad

and

Fiesch

. All of them are tourist destination in both summer and winter seasons.

The area of the canton is and only about half of the total area is considered productive. Valais share 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.

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 (district), Entremont with capital Sembrancher
* Martigny (district), Martigny with capital

Martigny

* Saint-Maurice (district), Saint-Maurice with capital Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, Saint-Maurice
* Monthey (district), Monthey with capital

Monthey

Municipalities

There are 143 Municipalities of the canton of Valais, municipalities in the canton ().

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 Sierre and Salgesch and follows the mountain ridge including Bella Tola, Weisshorn and Dent Blanche. At the 2000 census, 62.8% of the population of Valais spoke

French

or Franco-Provençal language, Arpitan, 28.4% spoke

German

or Walser German, 2.2% spoke Italian language, Italian and 6.6% spoke other languages. Only 114 people reported speaking Romansh language, Romansh.

The canton is sparsely populated. Its population (as of ) is . , the population included 57,061 foreigners, or about 19.1% of the total population. The largest towns are the capital

Sion

(''Sitten''),

Monthey

, Sierre,

Martigny

and Brig-Glis. There is no major city located in the canton. As of 2017, 77% of total population was Roman Catholic, while only 6% were members of Swiss Reformed Church.

Politics

Federal election results

: FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
: "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.

Economy

Primary sector

Wines and fruit brandy, brandies, e.g. "Williamine" are some of the main production of the canton. Agriculture is often irrigated, notably through small open-air canals bringing the water from the glaciers above. 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. 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.

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 is also used in organised cow fights.

Secondary sector

Europe's tallest gravity dam is located at Grande Dixence Dam, Grande Dixence in the canton, closely followed by the Mauvoisin Dam. Hydroelectricity, 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. 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. 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. Climbing and mountaineering can be practised year-round, with most 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:

* Goms (district):

Fiesch

-Eggishorn, Bellwald, Binn, Ernen, Obergoms, Oberwald
* Aletsch (UNESCO World Heritage): Bettmeralp, Fiescheralp, Riederalp
* Brig-Glis and surrounding area: Blatten bei Naters, Blatten, Belalp, Mund, Termen, Birgisch
*

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
* Saas Valley: Saas-Fee, Saas-Almagell, Saas-Grund with Fee Glacier, the second largest summer ski area in Switzerland
*

Leukerbad

* Sierre, Salquenen and Anniviers, Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Switzerland, St. Luc,

Grimentz

, Vercorin,

Zinal

*

Crans-Montana

*

Sion

and surrounding area:

Anzère

,

Val d'Hérens

, Arolla, Euseigne,

Evolène

, Hérémence, Mase, Saint-Martin (Valais), Saint-Martin
* 4 Vallées ski area: Nendaz,

Verbier

, Veysonnaz, Thyon-Les Collons, Mayens-de-Riddes/La Tzoumaz
* Chablais and Portes du Soleil, Champéry, Champoussin, Morgins, Les Crosets, Torgon, Val-d'Illiez, Le Bouveret, Saint-Maurice (Valais), Saint-Maurice,

Monthey

, Evionnaz, St. Gingolph
* St. Bernard Region: Les Marécottes, Bruson, La Fouly, Champex, Vichères-Liddes

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 and Arolla region. The resorts on the north side of the main Rhône 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 (district) are slightly less known, yet also receive attention during the summer hiking season and the winter Skiing, ski season.

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 (Switzerland), 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 Saint-Gingolph–Saint-Maurice railway, Tonkin Railway, now operating in Valais only.

The canton is entirely surrounded by high mountains, but some major mountain passes connect it with the rest of Europe. The main road passes are those of the Grimsel Pass, Grimsel (towards the canton of Bern and the

Swiss Plateau

), the Furka Pass, Furka (Uri), the Nufenen Pass, Nufenen (Ticino), the Simplon Pass, Simplon and the Great St. Bernard Pass, Great St. Bernard (Italy), and the Col de la Forclaz, Forclaz and the Pas de Morgins, Morgins (France). Also notable are the historical and pedestrian passes of the Sanetsch, Rawil Pass, Rawil, Gemmi Pass, Gemmi and the Lötschberg, connecting Valais with the Swiss Plateau.

The Lötschberg, together with the Simplon, is one of the main north–south axis of Switzerland. The historical Lötschberg Railway opened in 1903. It connects directly Brig railway station, Brig to the Swiss Plateau across the

Bernese Alps

, via Spiez railway station, Spiez in the canton of Bern, through the high-elevation Lötschberg Tunnel. In 2007, the importance of that axis was further increased with the opening of the low-elevation Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the first high-speed railway connecting Valais to Bern, following essentially the same route, but at the level of the plains. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel was the longest land tunnel in the world when opened. The summit railway, through the historical tunnel, is still used for regional traffic and car transportation across the Lötschberg. The old train line is popular for its highly scenic sections in both cantons on either side of the old tunnel.

An other 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 railway station, Visp and Brig railway station, 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 connects directly

Zermatt

with St. Moritz, using both Mattherhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway network.

The canton comprehends a very extensive road network, with elevations ranging from that of Lake Geneva at Le Bouveret to that of the Nufenen Pass, the highest paved road in Valais. The A9, the only motorway, serves the valley up to Sierre, the extension towards Brig being currently built. All inhabited side valleys are accessible to motorized transports since the 1960s; the high-elevation reservoirs built during those years, notably the Grande Dixence, necessitating paved roads as well. As in most other cantons, localities are essentially served by PostBus Switzerland, which also operates numerous tourist lines on the Alpine passes and to the high-elevation lakes. Martigny, Sion, Sierre and Brig are hubs of public transportation. The winding mountain roads of Valais are very popular with drivers, bikers and cyclists for their spectacular scenery and are the highlights of competitions such as Tour de Suisse and the Rallye International du Valais. For a list of high-elevation paved roads, see list of highest paved roads in Switzerland.

Because of the tourism there are many railways and cable cars in the mountains. Railways serving side valleys are: the Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry railway, the Martigny–Orsières Railway (notably serving

Verbier

), the Martigny–Châtelard Railway (serving the Trient Valley) and the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn, Visp-Zermatt railway. Above

Zermatt

, the Gornergrat Railway and the Klein Matterhorn cable car are respectively the highest open-air railway and highest public transport in Europe.

In Valais are two ports on Lake Geneva served by the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman, CGN: St. Gingolph, Switzerland, St. Gingolph and Le Bouveret. The largest airport is located at Sion.

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 tenacious and austere mountain dweller facing the difficult conditions and dangers of nature.

Monuments

Many monuments dot the Valais landscape. The best known are the Valère Basilica, where the oldest organ in the world still playable is found, and the territorial Abbey of Saint-Maurice, which dates from the 6th century. Valais has several castles of historical importance, frequently built in formerly strategic locations: Tourbillon Castle, Saint-Maurice Castle, Stockalper Palace, La Bâtiaz Castle, Majorie Castle, the episcopal Leuk Castle etc. Amongst religious building are several churches which present a quality architecture, in particular those due to the architect Ulrich Ruffiner (16th century) who left many buildings between

Sion

and the Goms (region), Goms valley: Church of St. Théodule, Sion, Saint-Théodule church in Sion, church of

Raron

and church of Ernen. 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 in 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 Great St. Bernard Hospice and the Simplon Hospice. There are also interesting Roman remains, such as the amphitheater in Martigny. Sion is also a major site of European prehistory. In particular, are the dolmens of Le Petit-Chasseur, a group of large collective burials dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Bridges are also an important element of the Valais built landscape. Due to its mountainous terrain which requires crossing many natural obstacles, the canton has several bridges, old or modern, often daring, including the Gueuroz Bridge which was once the highest bridge in Europe, and the Ganter Bridge, on the Simplon road.

Visible from central Valais, the statue of Christ the King in Lens, Switzerland, Lens recalls the Catholic tradition of the canton.

Among the most important museums in the canton, the Gianadda Foundation in Martigny attracts many visitors from all over Switzerland and neighboring countries. The canton also owns several large museums in Sion, the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, the Cantonal History Museum and the Cantonal Museum of Natural History. Other museums owned by the canton are the Vine and Wine Museum in Salgesch and the Museum of Traditions and Boats of Lake Geneva in St. Gingolph, Switzerland, St. Gingolph.

Gastronomy

Traditional food products of Valais are wines, cheeses, dried meat, and Pain de seigle valaisan, rye bread. Some of the wines produced in Valais, essentially in the Rhone Valley, are Fendant, Petite Arvine, Humagne Blanche, Syrah and Pinot Noir. The numerous cheeses notably include raclette, which is both a variety of cheese and a dish. Along with fondue, the latter has become an emblematic dish associated with mountain culture. Other dishes of Valais include the Cholera (food), Cholera, a pastry containing various ingredients, and the , a simple dish consisting of roasted chestnuts eaten along with various local cheeses and charcuterie.

See also

*Le Nouvelliste (Valais), Le Nouvelliste
*Franco-Provençal language
*List of mountains of Valais

Notes

References

External links

Cantonal government

Official information from Valais/Wallis Promotion

{{Authority control

Valais,
Cantons of Switzerland
Cantons of the Helvetic Republic
Wine regions of Switzerland
Arpitania
1815 establishments in Switzerland
States and territories established in 1815