Le Trétien
Origin of the name Le Trétien
The name reportedly recalls the hamlet's position « outre Trient » (beyond the Trient). Distorted into « Outre Quint », then « Triquent », it would have become Le Trétien.[1]
Founding of Le Trétien
Le Trétien belongs to the municipality of Salvan. In the Middle Ages it forms a « quarter » of the Salvan valley, on the road linking Salvan with Finhaut, the Col des Montets and Chamonix, and falls under the parish of Salvan. The hamlet grew as three dense clusters, each on its own terrace, above the Triège gorge. Its late chapel shows the secondary role of the place before the end of the Ancien Régime.[1]
History of Le Trétien
1808. The old mule bridge in the Triège gorge is built.[2]
1816. Famine strikes the region hard. The hamlet falls to 20 households.[1]
1816-1819. The inhabitants build their chapel, consecrated on 11 June 1819.[1]
1844. On 21 May, near the bridge over the gorge, liberals from the districts of Monthey and Saint-Maurice clash with the people of Salvan, allies of the Upper Valais.[1]
1879. The first Siegfried map already shows the three-part layout, giving the impression of a compact settlement.[1]
around 1906. The Chamonix-Le Fayet line, opened in 1901, is extended to Martigny and opens up the hamlet, which gets a stop. A few hotels and guesthouses appear, and Le Trétien then has more than 200 inhabitants.[1]
1930s. The economic crisis, then the closing of the borders during the Second World War, deal a fatal blow to tourism.[1]
1960s. Specialisation in strawberry growing fails after Valais opens to outside markets.[1]
1997. With farming abandoned, most buildings have become second homes. A row of barns and granaries has disappeared, and the population is shrinking and ageing.[1]
Historic sites in Le Trétien
Chapel. Chapel built by the inhabitants after the famine of 1816.[1]
The three Triège bridges. A stone bridge, possibly medieval, a road bridge older than the 1879 map and the slimmer railway bridge of 1906 cross the gorge with ever bolder spans.[1]
Triège gorge. A gorge fitted with walkways and three bridges, with an SBB water intake in the middle. It stays closed throughout 2026 for works.[2]
Remains in Le Trétien
Bronze axe. A bronze axe found in the Triège forest suggests early occupation of the site, without certainty.[1]
Sources
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Trétien, Le (Salvan) », fiche 5150 (2e version, novembre 1997)
- Vallée du Trient Tourisme, « Triège gorge »
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Other villages near Le Trétien
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