Saas-Fee
Origin of the name Saas-Fee
The name appears in 1304 as « Vee ». The old French name of the place is « Fée ». Where does the name come from? That is still unknown.[1]
Founding of Saas-Fee
Pollen and charcoal found in a peat bog suggest that people already frequented the area in the 4th millennium BC. The village later belonged to the large commune of Saas, which came under the mayoralty (Meiertum) of Visp. Around 1300 the valley's inhabitants bought the alpine pastures between the Martiswald and Mattmark from the Blandrate, counts of Visp. When the large commune split into four quarters, the Saas-Fee quarter regulated village life and the use of forests, pastures, alps and hunting through its own statutes (Bauernzünfte). In church matters Saas-Fee long belonged to the parish of Saas, whose church stood at Saas-Grund. People lived almost self-sufficiently from livestock and crops until mountaineering and then winter sports turned the village into a major resort.[1][2]
History of Saas-Fee
4th millennium BC. Pollen and charcoal found in a peat bog suggest a human presence in the area.[1]
1291. The people of the St. Niklaus and Saas valleys conclude the so-called Monte Rosa peace with those of the Anzasca valley, to secure trade over the passes.[2]
around 1300. The valley's inhabitants buy from the Blandrate, counts of Visp, the alpine pastures between the Martiswald and Mattmark, with the seigneurial rights attached to them.[2]
1304. First recorded as « Vee ».[1]
1392. The large commune of Saas divides into four quarters: Saas-Balen, Saas-Grund, Saas-Almagell and Saas-Fee.[1][2]
around 1400. The parish of Saas is formed by separation from that of Visp, with its church at Saas-Grund.[2]
1456-1763. The Saas-Fee quarter regulates village life and the use of forests, pastures, alps and hunting through communal statutes (Bauernzünfte) of 1456, 1516, 1538, 1596 and 1763.[1]
1715. Saas-Fee becomes a rectorate with its own priest.[1]
19th century. From the start of the century the first naturalists visit this glacier village.[1]
1854. First ascent of the Strahlhorn.[1]
1880. The first hotel in Saas-Fee opens.[1]
1893. Saas-Fee separates from the parish of Saas and forms its own parish.[1][2]
1894. The first parish church is built.[1]
1948. The first ski lift goes into operation.[1]
1951. The road from Saas-Grund to Saas-Fee opens. Winter tourism then overtakes summer tourism.[1]
1963. The Church of the Sacred Heart replaces the first parish church.[1]
2000. The village records about 804'500 overnight stays, against 66'000 in 1950 and 538'300 in 1970.[1]
2007. The municipality's official name, until then written without a hyphen, reportedly becomes Saas-Fee on 1 January.
2008. The resort has 11'814 guest beds.[1]
Population of Saas-Fee
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1850 | 233 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 280 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 504 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 1'454 inhabitants |
| 2010 | 1'758 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 1'637 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Saas-Fee
Church of the Sacred Heart. Parish church built in 1963 to replace the parish's first church, erected in 1894 just after the separation from the parish of Saas.[1]
Car-free village. Despite the tourism boom that followed the opening of the road in 1951, the village lanes have remained closed to cars.[1]
Ski areas. Since the first ski lift of 1948, the ski areas were equipped in the 1950s and 1960s with drag lifts, chairlifts, gondolas and cable cars.[1]
Sources
- Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, « Saas-Fee » (Paul Martone, version du 10.02.2020 ; version allemande, la version française n'a pas pu être lue)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vallée de Saas » (Paul Martone, trad. Laurent Auberson, version du 06.01.2012)
- 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 Saas-Fee
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