Gampel
Origin of the name Gampel
Gampel appears in 1238 as « Champilz ». Where does the name come from? That is still unknown.[1]
Founding of Gampel
Gampel lies on the right bank of the Lonza, at the mouth of the Lötschental, in the district of Leuk. By the 14th century it was already an independent commune, one of those of the dizain of Leuk that joined together to defend their interests. The former municipality comprised the village of Gampel and the hamlet of Jeizinen, both destroyed by fire. Gampel adopted communal statutes (Bauernzunft), then became a parish separate from Leuk, with its own church. The 19th century brought the station shared with Steg on the Simplon line and the hydroelectric plant Lonza Elektrizitätswerke und Chemische Fabriken AG Gampel, forerunner of Lonza Ltd. Thanks to industry, Gampel became a wealthy municipality. It is now part of the municipality of Gampel-Bratsch.[1][2]
History of Gampel
1238. First mention as « Champilz ».[1]
1339. Gampel is recorded as an independent commune.[1]
1357. Gampel is one of the communes of the dizain of Leuk that join together to safeguard their interests.[1]
1442. Consecration of the chapel of Gampel, dedicated to St Theodulus.[1]
1545. Gampel adopts communal statutes (Bauernzunft).[1]
1616. A dispute with Steg over flooding of the Lonza leads the Diet to set a permanent boundary between the two communes, matching the limit between the dizains of Raron and Leuk.[1]
17th century. A chapel is built in the hamlet of Jeizinen, around the middle of the century.[1]
1663. Gampel becomes a parish separate from that of Leuk and builds a church.[1]
1674. The hamlet of Jeizinen adopts statutes.[1]
1793. Fire in the hamlet of Jeizinen.[1]
1877. The first station shared by Gampel and Steg opens on the Simplon line.[1]
1880. The church is replaced by a new building.[1]
1890. Fire in the village of Gampel.[1]
1897. Construction of the hydroelectric plant Lonza Elektrizitätswerke und Chemische Fabriken AG Gampel, forerunner of Lonza Ltd.[1]
1910. The population reaches 2'086 during the construction of the Lötschberg line.[1]
1929. The plant in Visp soon competes with the one in Gampel.[1]
1965-1966. A new chapel is built in Jeizinen.[1]
1980 and 1985. There is talk of uniting Gampel and Steg into a municipality called Lonza.[1]
1999. The Gampel plant is abandoned.[1]
2009. On 1 January, Gampel merges with Bratsch to form the municipality of Gampel-Bratsch.[1][2]
Population of Gampel
Sources and references: [1]
| 1850 | 330 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 531 inhabitants |
| 1910 | 2'086 inhabitants (construction of the Lötschberg line) |
| 1950 | 798 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 1'301 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Gampel
Chapel of St Theodulus. Chapel of Gampel consecrated in 1442, older than the parish.[1]
Parish church. A church was built after the parish was created in 1663. It was replaced by a new building in 1880.[1]
Jeizinen. Hamlet destroyed by fire in 1793, with statutes of 1674 and a mid-17th-century chapel replaced in 1965-1966. Today a tourist resort linked to Gampel by cableway and to Leuk by road.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Gampel » (Rachel Siggen-Bruttin, version du 23.12.2016)
- Etat du Valais, Département des finances, des institutions et de la santé, Service des affaires intérieures et communales, « Rapport sur les finances communales 2008 » (février 2010) (fusions de communes et dates d'entrée en vigueur)
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Gampel
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