Saas-Almagell

Saas-Almagell
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Valais (VS)
District :	Visp
BFS no. :	6288
Postal code :	3905
Coordinates :	640 117  /  104909 coordinates: 46 ° 5 '40 "  N , 7 ° 57' 26"  O ; CH1903:  six hundred and forty thousand one hundred seventeen  /  104909
Height :	1672  m above sea level M.
Height range :	1593-4189 m above sea level M.
Area :	110.44  km²
Residents:	370 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	3 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.saas-almagell.org
Saas-Almagell
Location of the municipality

Saas-Almagell (until 31 December 2006: Saas Almagell ) is a municipality and a civic community of the district Visp and a parish of the deanery Visp in the Swiss canton of Valais .

geography

Saas-Almagell is located in the Saas Valley , framed by many four-thousand-meter peaks in the Valais Alps . Saas-Almagell is the furthest and with 370 inhabitants (December 31, 2018) the smallest of the four Saas-Almagell villages ( Saas-Fee , Saas-Grund and Saas-Balen ). The village is located at 1670  m above sea level. M. .

Almagell is divided into the hamlets of Lehn, Chaischlittu, Unterkreuz, Zum Berg, Dorfplatz, Furrusand and the settlements of Zerbriggu, Biele, Älpie, Moos, Furggstalden and the demolished Zermeiggern. The Furggu, Eyen, Distel and Mattmark Alps are still grazed with cattle in summer.

The dominant mountain above Saas Almagell is about three kilometers southeast of the village lying Almagellerhorn .

politics

The executive branch is represented by the local council, which consists of 5 members.

Surname

The origin of the name Almagell is controversial. In numerous documents from the years from 1291 to 1794 the following spellings can be found: Armenzello , Almenkel , Almelkel , Almgell , Almakel , Almengel , Allmagel , Allmogel . Almelkel perhaps because Italian neighbors called the place Al Michél .

history

Ligurians, Celts, Romans and Alemanni once lived in the Saas Valley. The thesis, based on place names, that Saracens should have settled the valley, is hardly tenable.

population

Population development
year	1850	1900	1950	2000	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018
Residents	147	190	335	397	389	383	390	386	370

Culture and religion

The living conditions in the harsh nature were difficult at all times. Deep piety helped people deal with it. To this day, many customs and traditions have been preserved through the millennia of seclusion. The Corpus Christi processions (Thursday after Trinity Sunday ) in the villages of the Saas Valley are among the most beautiful of their kind in the Valais valleys. Following the high mass in the parish church, the procession begins in front of the church, then moves around the village to the hamlets, back to the church square and ends with a visit to the cemetery.

The procession's procession consists of the "heaven" carried by four councilors, under which the priest holds the monstrance with the holy of holies in his hands, the communicants in their white skirts, the wreath girls, the standard-bearers, the music clubs, the choir , the traditional women, the rosary flags, the youth associations, the Lord God grenadiers and the praying people. The procession stops four times at the decorated Corpus Christi altars, where the priest with the golden monstrance gives the blessing. The tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. Afterwards there will be an aperitif on the village square for guests and locals, accompanied by various musical performances.

economy

Mattmarksee (January 2020)

The most important branch of industry in the entire Saas Valley is tourism, but in Saas-Almagell the electricity industry also plays a role. At the back of the Saas Valley is the Mattmark earth dam - the highest earth dam in Europe - which dams the Mattmarksee .

In contrast to the neighboring Mattertal in the west, there is no railroad in the Saas Valley; PostBus Switzerland provides access .

tourism

Due to its favorable location, tourism has been the most important economic factor since the middle of the 20th century. As a result, there is a tourist infrastructure with numerous hotels and restaurants in various price ranges as well as leisure and sports facilities. In summer Saas-Almagell is mainly visited by hikers and mountaineers. One of the most beautiful hikes is the high trail from Kreuzboden over the Almagelleralp and finally on the adventure trail to Furggstalden. You can then take the chairlift to the valley. 300 km of hiking trails, tennis, mini golf , football, playgrounds and lots of pure nature are available to summer guests.

Historic Walser - and smugglers paths lead over the passes Monte Moro and Mondelli to Macugnaga and the Valle Anzasca . From Monte Moro the view opens up into the east face of Monte Rosa . Via the Ofentalpass , the Antrona and the Sunnigpass you get to the Valle d'Antrona with the towns of Antrona Schieranco and Viganella and over the Zwischenbergenpass to Gondo .

Winter tourism predominates in winter . The transport systems lead to Heidbodme ( 2400  m ). Snow tubing, toboggan runs, cross-country skiing trails, snowshoe routes, ice rink and curling are among the offers.

The two Swiss Alpine Club huts Britannia ( 3030  m ) and Almagellerhütte ( 2894 m ) are located on the community floor  . From the Britannia you can climb the Allalinhorn , Rimpfischhorn and Strahlhorn . Some of these mountains are easy to climb and are among the easier four-thousanders on the normal routes. For the more demanding routes, it is recommended that you be accompanied by mountain guides who are familiar with the area. The Almagellerhütte is on the way to the Zwischenbergen Pass , which leads through the Zwischenbergental to Gondo on the Simplon Pass .

Up through the Almagellertal you reach the climbing Eldorado at the Almagellerhütte. The classics Dri Hörnli , Portjengrat and Lagograt can be conquered from the SAC hut . There are also many sport climbing routes on the east face of the Dri Hörnli. A combined tour leads over the south ridge to Weissmies .

Personalities

• Pirmin Zurbriggen , former world champion and Olympic champion in alpine skiing
• Heidi Zurbriggen , former world cup skier and double vice world champion in alpine skiing
• Silvan Zurbriggen , former World Cup driver and runner-up in slalom
• Gilles Senn , goalkeeper at HC Davos
• Fatih Derder, Swiss politician FDP (Nationalrat Kanton Vaud 2011 -)
• Esther Waeber-Kalbermatten , Swiss politician SP (State Councilor 2009 -)

Familys

In the community of Saas-Almagell there are mostly 3 large families: Anthamatten, Andenmatten and Zurbriggen.

literature

• Paul Martone: Saas-Almagell. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . 2011 .
• Peter Joseph Ruppen , Gustav Imseng, Werner Imseng: Saaser Chronik. 1200-1988. Saas-Fee tourist office, Saas-Fee 1988.

Web links

Commons : Saas-Almagell  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Saas-Almagell on the ETHorama platform
• Official website of the Saas-Almagell municipality
• Historical archive Saastal

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
2. ^ Paul Martone: Saastal. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
3. ↑ Hannes Steiner: Saracens. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .