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Villages / Valais / Östlich Raron district / Bettmeralp

Bettmeralp

Merger 2014 Canton of Valais · District: Östlich Raron · 468 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure)
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Bettmeralp

The municipality bears the name of Bettmeralp, the car-free resort that is one of its three villages, together with Betten and Martisberg.[5]

Founding of Bettmeralp

Bettmeralp was created by the merger of Betten, which had 420 inhabitants, and Martisberg, the smallest municipality in Valais with 19 inhabitants. The new municipality brings together 439 inhabitants and three villages: Betten at 1'203 metres, Bettmeralp at 1'948 metres and Martisberg at 1'367 metres. The territory climbs the north side of the Rhône valley, in the district of Östlich Raron. Betten, with its hamlet of Egga, sits on a sunny terrace, and its alpine pasture, the former Terpetsch, has become the resort of Bettmeralp, where residents and activity are increasingly concentrated. Martisberg, a scattered settlement, first had Derfji as its centre, later replaced by Hittubodu, lower down, where a municipal house was built from 1795. Both villages first belonged to the parish of Mörel. As an episcopal castellany, Martisberg was mostly kept out of the burdens of the dizain.[2][3][5][8][9]

History of Bettmeralp

1243. Betten appears in a document as « Bettan ».[8]

1263. The Bishop of Sion detaches Martisberg from the county of Mörel and makes it a castellany, which lasts until 1798.[9]

1311. Martisberg is recorded as « Martisperg ».[9]

1910. Betten, until then served by the parish of Mörel, becomes a parish.[8]

1951. A cable car comes into service. Tourism has been transforming the farming village since around 1930.[8]

1970. A cantonal decree (no. 451.116) protects the landscape around the Bettmeralp chapel.[10]

1972. On 12 July at around 7 p.m. the haul rope of the Betten-Bettmeralp cable car snaps. The cabin, carrying 14 people, falls back against a wall of the Betten valley station. Twelve people die and two teenagers survive.[4]

1985. A road for motor vehicles opens.[8]

2012. In August 80 % of the inhabitants of the two municipalities approve the merger.[3]

2013. In February the cantonal parliament approves the merger.[2][3]

2014. On 1 January the municipality of Bettmeralp comes into being.[1][3]

Population of Bettmeralp

Sources and references: [6][8][9]

Population of Bettmeralp
1850294 (Betten)
185090 (Martisberg)
1900311 (Betten)
190086 (Martisberg)
1950373 (Betten)
195066 (Martisberg)
1980536 (present-day territory)
1990471 (present-day territory)
2000476 (present-day territory)
2010446 (present-day territory)
2020452 (municipality of Bettmeralp)
2025468

Historic sites in Bettmeralp

Bettmeralp resort. A car-free holiday resort, Bettmeralp hosts up to 5'000 people in the high season. About 300 residents live there in the low season.[5]

Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows. On a small rise in Bettmeralp, at about 2'000 metres, this chapel of 1696-1697 was first dedicated to St James. The canton protects its surroundings, where building is forbidden.[8][10]

Church of the Sacred Heart. In Betten, the church replaced the chapel of St Anne, recorded in 1571 and later demolished.[8]

Chapel of St Anthony. Built in 1950-1951 at Martisberg, it replaces the chapel of Our Lady and St Martin, recorded in 1697.[9]

Municipal administration. The municipal office is on the Aletsch plateau, in Bettmeralp.[5]

Sources

  1. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), Répertoire officiel des communes, mutation 3425
  2. Schweizer Bauer (sda), « Kleinste Walliser Gemeinde mit 19 Einwohnern fusioniert » (12.2.2013)
  3. Schweizer Bauer, « Kleinste Walliser Gemeinde verschwindet » (31.12.2013)
  4. SRF, « Unglück vor 50 Jahren: Bettmeralp, das sind die Lehren aus der Seilbahn-Katastrophe » (12.7.2022)
  5. Valais 4 you (Regions- und Wirtschaftszentrum Oberwallis AG), « Bettmeralp »
  6. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  7. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
  8. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Betten » (Philipp Kalbermatter, version du 04.01.2017)
  9. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Martisberg » (Philipp Kalbermatter, version du 04.01.2017)
  10. Canton du Valais, sites naturels protégés, « Landschaft bei der Kapelle von Bettmeralp »

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Bettmeralp

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