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Villages / Valais / Sierre district / Montana-Vermala

Montana-Vermala

Canton of Valais · District: Sierre · No published figure for the locality. The municipality of Crans-Montana has 10'781 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure)
Part of the municipality of Montana
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Montana-Vermala

The name joins that of Montana, the municipality where most of the resort lay, with that of Vermala, today one of its districts. The meaning of Vermala is unknown.[1][5]

Founding of Montana-Vermala

Montana-Vermala was born of tourism, at around 1'500 m, on the territory of the former municipalities of Montana and Randogne. Louis Antille and Michel Zufferey opened the Hôtel du Parc there, the first hotel on the Haut-Plateau, and the resort developed around it. The sanatorium of the Geneva doctor Théodore Stephani then made it a renowned health resort. The place now belongs to the municipality of Crans-Montana.[1][2]

History of Montana-Vermala

1892. Louis Antille and Michel Zufferey open the Hôtel du Parc, around which the resort develops. It is inaugurated the following year.[1][2]

1901. Théodore Stephani builds a sanatorium that makes Montana famous.[1]

1911. A funicular links Montana-Vermala with Sierre.[1]

1920. In spring, a group of friends founds the Montana-Vermala section of the Swiss Alpine Club, devoted to mountaineering, hiking and skiing.[3]

1928. Montana-Vermala becomes a parish.[1]

late 1950s. The number of patients falls and Montana begins its conversion into a winter sports resort.[1]

1968. The Supercrans tower is built at Vermala.[2]

1987. The resort hosts the World Ski Championships.[1][2]

1997. Montana-Vermala, Crans-sur-Sierre and Aminona start joint tourist promotion.[1]

2017. On 1 January, Montana and Randogne, between which the resort was divided, merge with Chermignon and Mollens into the municipality of Crans-Montana.[1][2]

Historic sites in Montana-Vermala

Sierre funicular. Opened in 1911 between Sierre and the resort. One of the first built-up cores of the Haut-Plateau formed around it.[1][2]

Supercrans tower. Tower built in 1968 at Vermala.[2]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montana » (Hugues Rey, version du 12.01.2017)
  2. Crans-Montana Tourisme & Congrès, « Historique »
  3. Crans-Montana Life (magazine), Claude Monnier, « Un centenaire en pleine forme » (section Montana-Vermala du Club alpin suisse)
  4. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  5. geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Vermala)

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