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Villages / Valais / Sierre district / Muraz

Muraz

Canton of Valais · District: Sierre · No published figure for the locality; the municipality of Sierre has 18'060 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure)
Part of the municipality of Sierre
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Muraz

The slope linking Muraz with the neighbouring quarter of Villa is called « Villa-Muraz ». The meaning of the name Muraz is unknown. This hamlet of Sierre should not be confused with Muraz in the municipality of Collombey-Muraz.[2]

Founding of Muraz

Muraz is a hamlet of the municipality of Sierre, on the upper edge of the town. Its houses mostly run parallel to the contour lines, among the vines. The quarter has yielded finds from the Bronze Age to the Carolingian period, and a Roman villa is said to have occupied the slope of Villa-Muraz, where the first representatives of the abbey of Saint-Maurice seem to have had their seat. For centuries Muraz was lived in only intermittently: families from Saint-Luc, in the Val d'Anniviers, stayed there to tend the vineyards and for the grape harvest, while those from Chandolin used Viouc, at the western end of the hamlet. The rebuilding of the church in the 19th century marks the shift to permanent settlement. Muraz keeps a distinct core within Sierre today.[1][2]

History of Muraz

Bronze Age-Carolingian period. The quarter of Muraz yields abundant finds, some of them from graves.[1]

Roman period. Masonry remains come to light at Grands-Prés, near Muraz, perhaps from a villa. Another villa seems to have stood on the slope of Villa-Muraz.[1][2]

1854. The church of Saint-Martin is rebuilt on the remains of an earlier sanctuary, a sign that the inhabitants were gradually settling permanently.[2]

1940. The church is renovated.[2]

around 1970. A primary school is built out of line with the old houses.[2]

Population of Muraz

Sources and references: [2][4]

Population of Muraz
early 20th century78 inhabitants (compared with 357 in Borsuat and 514 in Glarey)

Historic sites in Muraz

Church of Saint-Martin. Rebuilt in 1854 on the remains of an older sanctuary and renovated in 1940, it has neo-Gothic decoration.[2][3]

Winegrowers' houses. South of the main street, former seasonal dwellings the size of outbuildings stand tightly packed together. The western entrance to the hamlet has a large number of them.[2]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sierre (commune) » (François Wiblé, David Rey, version du 02.05.2013)
  2. Office fédéral de la culture, ISOS, « Sierre » (commune de Sierre, 2e version, 03.1998)
  3. Sierre-Anniviers Tourisme, « Remuage » (quartiers de Sierre, décor de l'église de Muraz)
  4. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  5. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)

Other villages near Muraz

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