Vichères
Origin of the name Vichères
Vichères, listed among the hamlets of the municipality of Liddes, bears a name of obscure origin. The resort has the double name Vichères-Bavon, after the neighbouring Bavon alpine pasture where the ski area lies.[1]
Founding of Vichères
Vichères is one of the hamlets of the municipality of Liddes, together with Liddes-Ville, Chandonne, Fontaine, Rive-Haute, Drance, Fornex, Les Moulins, Chez-Petit and Palasui. When the hamlet came into being is not known. Its inhabitants lived from fields of barley and rye and from the surrounding pastures and forests, and at the beginning of the 20th century the village was relatively prosperous. After the last inhabitants left in 1955, the developer Edmond Joris had it renovated and converted into tourist accommodation, then created the Vichères-Bavon ski resort, which launched winter tourism in Liddes.[1][2][4]
History of Vichères
Early 20th century. The village is relatively prosperous. Barley and rye are grown, and the surrounding pastures and forests are worked.[4]
1955. The last inhabitants leave the hamlet, which becomes a symbol of rural exodus.[2]
1963. Tourist development of the Vichères area is considered, partly to revive the abandoned hamlet.[2]
1964. The hamlet is renovated and converted into tourist accommodation, with road access and the hotel-restaurant « Au Vieux Vichères ». The main developer, Edmond Joris, plans lifts from Le Chapelet to the Tête de Bavon.[2]
1969. Edmond Joris obtains a federal concession for a gondola on the Bavon alpine pasture.[2]
1973. Work begins in August, but on a chairlift and a ski tow instead of the gondola. The municipality halts it because the permit does not cover these installations, then an agreement is reached. The Städeli two-seat chairlift and the tow are completed at the end of December.[2][3]
1974. For lack of snow the Vichères-Bavon ski area only opens in early January. A self-service restaurant is built at the base, and for a few summers the chairlift also carries hikers.[2][3]
1975. The access road is improved and the car park enlarged.[2]
1998. In the only major modernisation, two Garaventa ski tows are installed on new routes. The La Chaux de Bavon tow, built in 1991 for Davos, is re-erected at Vichères.[2][3]
2009. Works allow the chairlift concession to be extended until April 2029.[3]
2010. After the closure of Super Saint-Bernard and given the operating company's financial difficulties, a rescue operation prevents the resort from closing.[2]
2022. The chairlift is among the ten oldest public chairlifts still in service in Switzerland.[3]
Historic sites in Vichères
The restored hamlet. The sun-blackened raccards (barns) have been converted into chalets that keep their traditional appearance. The hamlet, emptied of its inhabitants in 1955, was converted into tourist accommodation from 1964 onwards.[2][4]
Le Chapelet - La Chaux de Bavon chairlift. Fixed two-seat chairlift built by Städeli in 1973 and opened in January 1974, the heart of the Vichères-Bavon resort. In 2022 it is among the ten oldest public chairlifts still in service in Switzerland.[3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Liddes » (Albano Hugon, version du 28.01.2008, version italienne lue)
- remontees-mecaniques.net, « Vichères - Liddes » (historique de la station)
- remontees-mecaniques.net, « Télésiège fixe 2 places (TSF2) Le Chapelet - La Chaux de Bavon »
- Pays du Saint-Bernard (office du tourisme), « Vichères-Liddes »
- 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 Vichères
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change