Blitzingen
Origin of the name Blitzingen
The form « Blicingen » is recorded in 1203. The name is said to come from a personal name such as « Blitzo » and to mean « among the people of Blitzo ».[1]
Founding of Blitzingen
Blitzingen lies in the upper part of the lower Goms valley. Its hamlets, Ammere, Bodme, Wiler and Gadme, are mentioned as early as the 14th century. In the Middle Ages the bishop of Sion and the nobles of Raron, Restin and Blandrate held feudal rights here. The houses of the village centre, still well preserved, date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Near the village, the Chaschtebiel hill served as the meeting place of the dizain of Goms. Farming worked on two levels: farmsteads and flax and hemp fields in the valley, cattle on the alpine pastures. Blitzingen belonged first to the parish of Ernen, then to that of Niederwald, before becoming a parish. The municipality, created in the mid-19th century, comprised the village and its hamlets.[1]
History of Blitzingen
1203. First known form of the name, « Blicingen ».[1]
14th century. Mention of the hamlets of Ammere, Bodme, Wiler and Gadme.[1]
16th century. From the end of the century to 1630 the houses of the village centre are built.[1]
1663. Blitzingen leaves the parish of Ernen for that of Niederwald.[1]
1684. The chapel of Bodme is recorded.[1]
1743. A chapel is mentioned on the Chaschtebiel, meeting place of the dizain of Goms.[1]
1837. The Chaschtebiel chapel is in ruins.[1]
1848. Creation of the municipality, comprising the village and its hamlets.[1]
1877. Blitzingen becomes a parish.[1]
1932. The village burns down, except for the church and a few houses.[1]
1933. The village is rebuilt in the Heimatstil style.[1]
1960. Ammere, Gadme and Wiler are no longer inhabited all year round.[1]
late 1970s. Tourism becomes the main source of income.[1]
1999. Two large farms and a joinery remain.[1]
2000. The municipality has 99 inhabitants.[1]
2017. Blitzingen is joined with Grafschaft, Münster-Geschinen, Niederwald and Reckingen-Gluringen in the municipality of Goms.[1]
Population of Blitzingen
Sources and references: [1]
| 1850 | 152 |
| 1880 | 208 |
| 1900 | 188 |
| 1950 | 180 |
| 2000 | 99 |
Historic sites in Blitzingen
Village of Blitzingen. The village burned down in 1932, except for the church and a few houses, and was rebuilt from 1933 in the Heimatstil style.[1]
Bodme and its chapel. Preserved hamlet with a chapel recorded in 1684.[1]
Ammere. Hamlet no longer inhabited all year round since 1960, now a private open-air museum.[1]
Remains in Blitzingen
Chaschtebiel. Hill near the village where the dizain of Goms met. The chapel mentioned there in 1743 was in ruins by 1837.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Blitzingen » (Alma Treyer Lehner, trad. Arthur Bissegger, version de 1999 remaniée le 13.01.2017)
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Blitzingen
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