Anniviers
Encyclopedia
Anniviers is a municipality
in the district of Sierre in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
. It was formed through the merger of six municipalities in Val d'Anniviers
: Ayer
, Chandolin
, Grimentz
, Saint-Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie
. The merger became effective 1 January 2009, creating the third largest municipality of Switzerland by surface area.
Aboriginal inhabitants are considered to have strong links to western asian people and culture and claim to be descendants of Hunnish tribes. Their original dialect died out, but is said to be only slightly different from Hungarian. Runic writing, folk art (the tree of life, tulip, headboard), food culture and burial rituals support this eastern links. The inhabitants of Eifisch-valley (Val d'Anniviers) were also christianed later then the other inhabitants of Rhône-valley. Two possible events seem obvious: 1) after the heavy defeat of Attila 451 in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, parts of his followers retreated to the valley. 2) The Magyars invasions of Europe
: 917 southern Germany and 924 Pavia in northern Italy.
Before 1052 the valley was called Annivesium, and the former German name was Eifischtal. The Bishop of Sion owned the valley between 1116 and 1138 and donated it to the chapter. In the year 1193, the area became a demesne of the Anniviers family, then by Raron (1381). The property was returned to the bishopric in 1798.
The area saw growing number of parishes, increasing from two in 1805 to five in 1932. Municipalities began to emerge. In 1905 there were six: Ayer, Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Saint-Jean, Grimentz and Vissoie. The first cart path was developed in 1300, and a wagon road in 1854 for the transport of nickel and cobalt ores. The paved road dates from 1955; it was constructed to allow transportation of materials needed to build the Dam Moiry
.
Ayer is first mentioned in 1296. Chandolin is first mentioned about 1250 as Eschandulyns. Grimentz is first mentioned in 1052 as Grimiens. The village was formerly known by its German name Grimensi, however, that name is no longer used. Saint-Jean is first mentioned in 1250 as de Sancto Johanne. Saint-Luc is first mentioned in 1267 as Lus. In 1304 it was mentioned as Luc, which was the official name until 1904. The name Saint-Luc first appears around 1850.
Anniviers has an area, , of 243.1 square kilometre. Of this area, 22.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 57.1% is unproductive land.
Most of the population speaks French
(89.6%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (3.9%) and Portuguese
is the third (3.4%).
, the population was 52.1% male and 47.9% female. The population was made up of 1,038 Swiss men (41.0% of the population) and 281 (11.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,000 Swiss women (39.5%) and 213 (8.4%) non-Swiss women.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.1%.
, the construction rate of new housing units was 17 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.52%.
. The villages of Ayer, Grimentz, Saint-Jean and Vissoie along with the hamlet of Pinsec are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
took six seats, the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
took two seats, and the AdG took one seat.
. The wettest month is August during which time Grimentz receives an average of 82 mm (3.2 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.9 days. The driest month of the year is April with an average of 52 mm (2 in) of precipitation over 8.6 days.
, Saint-Luc - Chandolin and Zinal
. Vercorin is also nearby, but is technically not in the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Sierre in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It was formed through the merger of six municipalities in Val d'Anniviers
Val d'Anniviers
The val d'Anniviers is a Swiss alpine valley, situated in the district of Sierre in Valais, which extends south of the Rhône Valley. The valley was home to six municipalities: Ayer, Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint-Jean, Saint-Luc, Vissoie, Vercorin and Zinal. The citizens of those municipalities agreed...
: Ayer
Ayer, Switzerland
Ayer is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers....
, Chandolin
Chandolin
Chandolin is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Grimentz, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers.-History:...
, Grimentz
Grimentz
Grimentz is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers.-History:...
, Saint-Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie
Vissoie
Vissoie is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais.The village became an independent municipality in 1905 when it split from the municipalities of Ayer and Grimentz. However, on 1 January 2009 it merged with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint Jean and Saint-Luc...
. The merger became effective 1 January 2009, creating the third largest municipality of Switzerland by surface area.
History
The first known human traces dating from the Bronze and Iron Ages. The valley has a rich and unique cultural tradition.Aboriginal inhabitants are considered to have strong links to western asian people and culture and claim to be descendants of Hunnish tribes. Their original dialect died out, but is said to be only slightly different from Hungarian. Runic writing, folk art (the tree of life, tulip, headboard), food culture and burial rituals support this eastern links. The inhabitants of Eifisch-valley (Val d'Anniviers) were also christianed later then the other inhabitants of Rhône-valley. Two possible events seem obvious: 1) after the heavy defeat of Attila 451 in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, parts of his followers retreated to the valley. 2) The Magyars invasions of Europe
Hungarian invasions of Europe
This article describes Hungarian invasions of Europe.Three groups invaded Europe during the ninth and tenth centuries. The Vikings, the Muslims and the Hungarians...
: 917 southern Germany and 924 Pavia in northern Italy.
Before 1052 the valley was called Annivesium, and the former German name was Eifischtal. The Bishop of Sion owned the valley between 1116 and 1138 and donated it to the chapter. In the year 1193, the area became a demesne of the Anniviers family, then by Raron (1381). The property was returned to the bishopric in 1798.
The area saw growing number of parishes, increasing from two in 1805 to five in 1932. Municipalities began to emerge. In 1905 there were six: Ayer, Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Saint-Jean, Grimentz and Vissoie. The first cart path was developed in 1300, and a wagon road in 1854 for the transport of nickel and cobalt ores. The paved road dates from 1955; it was constructed to allow transportation of materials needed to build the Dam Moiry
Lac de Moiry
thumb|left|Map of the lakeLac de Moiry is a reservoir in the municipality of Grimentz, Switzerland. The lake has a surface area of 1.40 km² and an elevation of 2,249 m. The maximum depth is 120 m.The dam is 148 m high and was completed in 1958....
.
Ayer is first mentioned in 1296. Chandolin is first mentioned about 1250 as Eschandulyns. Grimentz is first mentioned in 1052 as Grimiens. The village was formerly known by its German name Grimensi, however, that name is no longer used. Saint-Jean is first mentioned in 1250 as de Sancto Johanne. Saint-Luc is first mentioned in 1267 as Lus. In 1304 it was mentioned as Luc, which was the official name until 1904. The name Saint-Luc first appears around 1850.
Geography
Anniviers has an area, , of 243.1 square kilometre. Of this area, 22.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 57.1% is unproductive land.
Demographics
Anniviers has a population of . , 19.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 14.4%. It has changed at a rate of 14.8% due to migration and at a rate of 3.4% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(89.6%) as their first language, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is the second most common (3.9%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the third (3.4%).
, the population was 52.1% male and 47.9% female. The population was made up of 1,038 Swiss men (41.0% of the population) and 281 (11.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,000 Swiss women (39.5%) and 213 (8.4%) non-Swiss women.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.1%.
, the construction rate of new housing units was 17 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.52%.
Heritage sites of national significance
The Ilôt Bosquet and Chlasche in Grimentz is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. The villages of Ayer, Grimentz, Saint-Jean and Vissoie along with the hamlet of Pinsec are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Politics
In the October 12, 2008, municipal election, the Christian Democratic People's Party of SwitzerlandChristian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
took six seats, the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
took two seats, and the AdG took one seat.
Economy
, Anniviers had an unemployment rate of 3.5%. , there were 106 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 55 businesses involved in this sector. 358 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 43 businesses in this sector. 669 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 142 businesses in this sector. Of the working population, 7.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.1% used a private car.Weather
Grimentz village has an average of 106.7 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 769 mm (30.3 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is August during which time Grimentz receives an average of 82 mm (3.2 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.9 days. The driest month of the year is April with an average of 52 mm (2 in) of precipitation over 8.6 days.
Education
Vissoie village is home to the Bibliothèque d'Anniviers library. The library has 7,002 books or other media, and loaned out 5,395 items in the same year. It was open a total of 167 days with average of 25 hours per week during that year.Tourism
Anniviers is a high tourism region. Several hiking trails and diverse sports installations welcome visitors in summer. In winter, three ski areas are available: GrimentzGrimentz
Grimentz is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers.-History:...
, Saint-Luc - Chandolin and Zinal
Zinal
Zinal is a village located in the municipality of Anniviers in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies at an altitude of 1,675 metres in the Swiss Alps in the Val d'Anniviers, a valley running from the Zinal Glacier, north of Dent Blanche to the village of Ayer...
. Vercorin is also nearby, but is technically not in the municipality.
Special events
Every year, Anniviers is the terminus of the Sierre-Zinal and the Grand Raid Cristalp races.Access
-
A9: Motorway of Lausanne-Simplon. - Exit SierreSierreSierre is the capital of the district of Sierre in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of 14,355.It is situated on the French–German language border of the canton of Wallis...
. 20 km (12 mi) via a picturesque mountain road.