Miéville
Origin of the name Miéville
The name may derive from the Latin « villa », which would suggest a settlement from Roman times.[1]
Founding of Miéville
Miéville, a hamlet in the municipality of Vernayaz on the left bank of the Rhône, began as a stopping place on the Valais road, at a narrow passage. It is also known through a hospice for incurables, now gone, which stood about 500 m to the north. Its stone houses, packed along lanes and small terraced squares, form a uniform ensemble.[1]
History of Miéville
late Middle Ages. The layout of the hamlet takes on most of its present form.[1]
early 17th century. Trade over the Simplon probably brings a revival that shapes the buildings.[1]
1798-1912. Miéville belongs to the municipality of Salvan.[2][3]
1802. The communal oven is built. It is no longer in use.[1]
1859. A railway line is built on an embankment. It cuts the hamlet off from the banks of the Rhône without changing its appearance much.[1]
1880. The Siegfried map shows a built area almost as large as today. The Valais road then runs along the main street.[1]
1912. Miéville leaves Salvan with Vernayaz and Gueuroz to form the municipality of Vernayaz.[2][3]
1928. The school is built.[1]
1947-1952. Salanfe SA, controlled by Lonza and EOS, builds the Miéville hydroelectric plant, fed by the Salanfe and Souffla basins.[1][2]
1960s. The cantonal road is diverted around the hamlet.[1]
around 1985. The motorway is built, reducing traffic further.[1]
Historic sites in Miéville
Pissevache waterfall. A waterfall regarded as an exceptional natural monument, whose water supplies the hamlet and the plant. Goethe described its refraction of light and its rainbows.[1]
Hydroelectric plant. One of the most productive in Valais, it is largely underground, including the turbine hall. Above ground are an administrative building, a transformer area, a tailrace canal and a secondary plant served by a funicular.[1][2]
Hamlet centre. Narrow lanes, a covered passage, a courtyard, a covered fountain with a granite basin, the old communal oven, the 1928 school and a farmhouse from around 1900.[1]
Sources
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Miéville (Vernayaz) », fiche 5023 (2e version, décembre 1995)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vernayaz » (David Rey, version du 08.07.2013)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Salvan (commune) » (Gaëlle Bourguinet Eggs, version du 07.06.2013)
- 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 Miéville
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