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Villages / Valais / Östlich Raron district / Bitsch
Coat of arms of Bitsch

Bitsch

Canton of Valais · District: Östlich Raron · 1'218 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure)
View of Bitsch
Photo: karico, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Bitsch

Neither a dated early form of the name nor an etymology is known. The community of Bitsch appears from 1373.[1]

Founding of Bitsch

Nobody knows who founded Bitsch. Neolithic crouched burials at Massaboden show that the place was inhabited very early. On a sunny slope in the Östlich Raron district, the municipality long remained a cluster of tiny hamlets, the main one being Wasen. It appears as a community of villagers and formed with Ried (Ried-Mörel) a quarter of the Östlich Raron dizain, as well as a co-ownership holding forests and commons jointly. For worship Bitsch has always belonged to Mörel.[1]

History of Bitsch

Neolithic. Crouched burials at Massaboden.[1]

1373. Bitsch is mentioned as a community of villagers.[1]

1619. A peasant community regulation (Bauernzunft) is set up with Ried.[1]

around 1657. Construction of the chapel of the Presentation of Mary at Wasen.[1]

1703. Construction of the burgher house.[1]

1799. Battle against the French near the Massaboden bridge.[1]

1889. Final separation from Ried.[1]

1915-1916. Construction of the Massaboden power station.[1]

1975. The Äbnet holiday village starts a building boom.[1]

1990. 73 % of jobs are in the tertiary sector and 72 % of working residents work elsewhere.[1]

Population of Bitsch

Sources and references: [1][2]

Population of Bitsch
1850158 inhabitants
1900527 inhabitants
1950320 inhabitants
2000747 inhabitants
20251'218 inhabitants

Historic sites in Bitsch

Chapel of the Presentation of Mary, Wasen. Built around 1657 in the main hamlet of Wasen.[1]

Burgher house. It dates from 1703.[1]

Massaboden. Site of Neolithic burials; in 1799 a battle against the French was fought near the bridge. The power station was built here in 1915-1916.[1]

Remains in Bitsch

Neolithic graves at Massaboden. Neolithic crouched burials were found here.[1]

Sources

  1. Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, « Bitsch » (Philipp Kalbermatter, version du 02.06.2004, version allemande)
  2. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  3. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Bitsch

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