Vercorin
| Vercorin | |
|---|---|
| State : |
 Switzerland
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| Canton : |
 Valais (VS)
|
| District : | Sierre |
| Municipal municipality : | Chalais VS |
| Postal code : | 3967 |
| former BFS no. : | 6232 |
| Coordinates : | 607 107 / 122867 |
| Height : | 1330 m above sea level M. |
 Vercorin view |
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| map | |
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Vercorin is a parish of the Deanery of Sierre and a holiday village with approx. 600 inhabitants in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais .
geography
The village is located on a mountain terrace above the town of Sierre at an altitude of 1330 m above sea level. M. and has a view of the Rhone Valley . Politically, Vercorin belongs to the municipality of Chalais VS , like the villages Chalais and Réchy on the edge of the valley and the village of Brie (also Briey) also on the slope terrace.
The Crêt du Midi , Vercorin's local mountain, rises above the village . It is the northernmost peak of the mountain range Sasseneire , Becs de Bosson and Roc d'Orzival , which the Val de Réchy resp. separates the Val d'Hérens from the Val d'Anniviers .
history
Vercorin was first mentioned as Vercorens in the 11th century . The first traces of settlement, however, go back to the Bronze Age . A parish has probably existed since the 12th century, which was subordinate to the Bishop of Sitten . The lordship rights over the village shared the Lords d'Ayent, von Chalais and d'Anniviers as well as the Albi von Granges .
Vercorin's fellow villagers were first mentioned in 1299. They regulated the use of pastures and irrigation systems, the so-called suonen or bites. In the 14th century they built the 6.3 km long Bisse de Vercorin . This still leads from the Val de Réchy water of the Rèche to the west of the village to the pastures of Vercorin.
The original mountain village with its wooden houses and old granaries is built tightly around the Romanesque bell tower and the Gothic choir from 1520. The choir of the Saint-Boniface church, decorated with frescoes by Hans Rinischer, is a listed building. In 1964 a new church was built adjacent to the existing church.
After the construction of the road and the aerial cableway, tourism began to emerge in 1960 and replaced agriculture as the most important source of income. As a result, hotels, holiday apartments and chalets were created. In 1950 there were still 86 people living in Vercorin, in 1980 it was 195 and in 2000 it was 601.
population
| Population development | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year | 1950 | 1980 | 2000 | 2017 |
| Residents | 86 | 195 | 601 | 595 |
traffic
Vercorin has only been accessible by road since 1938 and by cable car since 1951. Today three roads lead to Vercorin. The main access road leads from Sierre and the A9 motorway via Chalais to Vercorin. Since 1946, this road has also been used by the regular Postbus courses from the Sierre train station. These ensure that the village is connected to public transport in Switzerland. Since 1982 another road has been running in a westerly direction up to Nax . A narrow road, not always passable in winter, leads to Vissoie and Grimentz in the Val d'Anniviers.
In 1989 today's cable car was built with two gondolas, each with a capacity of 15 people. It leads from the outskirts of Chalais to Vercorin.
tourism
Vercorin offers tourists in summer and winter the infrastructure of a modern holiday resort with three hotels, numerous holiday apartments, chalets, restaurants, shops and sports facilities. The Crêt du Midi , Vercorin's local mountain, is 2332 m above sea level. M. Since 1973 opens up a cable car to the middle station on the Alp Sigeroula the summit. In summer 2012 the lift was replaced by a modern gondola lift.
summer
In Vercorin there are about 250 km of marked hiking trails available to tourists. The ascent to the Crêt du Midi takes around 3 hours on foot. A high-altitude hike above the tree line leads from Vercorin resp. Crêt du Midi by Grimentz. SwitzerlandMobility's route no. 58 " Chemin des Bisses " leads along the old, still functional Bisse de Vercorin water pipe .
winter
Since the 1970s, in addition to the gondola lift, 6 ski lifts have opened up a small ski area with 35 km of slopes around the Crêt du Midi.
Attractions
literature
Web links
- Official tourism website of Vercorin
- Anniviers mountain railways
- Official website of the municipality of Chalais
- Catherine Raemy-Berthod: Vercorin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Vercorin on the ETHorama platform
- Hiking in Switzerland: hiking route 58 Chemin des Bisses