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Villages / Valais / Hérens district / Botyre

Botyre

Canton of Valais · District: Hérens · About 610 inhabitants according to the municipality of Ayent (undated figure). The municipality has 4'509 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure).
Part of the municipality of Ayent
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Botyre

Known as one of the three « thirds » of the medieval community of Ayent, the name Botyre remains unexplained.

Founding of Botyre

Botyre is a village in the municipality of Ayent, in the district of Hérens, on the right bank of the Rhône. From the Middle Ages, the community of Ayent was divided into three « thirds »: Luc, Botyre and Arbaz. The village's beginnings remain obscure. Today Botyre is the economic centre of the municipality, with its cafés, shops and schools.[1][6]

History of Botyre

1257. Mention of the community of Ayent, which from the Middle Ages comprises the « thirds » of Luc, Botyre and Arbaz.[1]

1618-1620. The brothers Pierre and Barthélémy Bonvin build the Maison peinte.[2]

1930s. A violent clash near the Maison peinte costs two young men their lives.[2]

1950. Until this year, two families live in the Maison peinte.[2]

2009. The Valais museum of bisses (Musée valaisan des bisses) is founded.[3]

2012. The museum moves into the Maison peinte.[3]

Population of Botyre

Sources and references: [6]

Population of Botyre
Today610 inhabitants (undated municipal figure)

Historic sites in Botyre

Maison peinte. Fully restored 17th-century building on the Rue du Pissieu. It houses the 270 m² of exhibition space of the Valais museum of bisses and is listed as a B object in the inventory of cultural property. Its façade bears a rare depiction of the « Kiltgang », the custom of night-time visits to young women before marriage. The house is split into two symmetrical halves: cellars on the ground floor, stores on the first floor, kitchen and living room on the second, small bedrooms, a meat-drying room and an attic under the roof. The painter Ernest Bieler, of the Savièse school, depicted it in a gouache.[2][4][5]

Village centre. Cafés, shops and schools make Botyre the economic heart of the municipality. Next to it, the hamlet of Botyrette is growing too.[6]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Ayent » (Danielle Allet-Zwissig, version du 08.09.2009)
  2. Romaine Jean, « 400 ans d'histoires », Coopération n° 42, 13 octobre 2020, p. 78-79
  3. Université de Lausanne, Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur la montagne, « Musée valaisan des Bisses »
  4. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale Canton du VS » (état au 1.1.2026)
  5. Musée valaisan des bisses, « Musée valaisan des bisses »
  6. Commune d'Ayent, « Portrait de la commune »
  7. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  8. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)

Other villages near Botyre

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