Wiler (Lötschen)
Origin of the name Wiler (Lötschen)
The name appears in 1363 as « Wyllere », then in 1396 as « Wiler ». In the Upper Valais dialect it is reportedly « Wiilär ». The name may recall the Latin « villa » (estate, farmstead), but neither point is confirmed.[1]
Founding of Wiler (Lötschen)
How Wiler came into being is not known. Its oldest core is Racharten. The village's history is largely bound up with that of the Lötschental. For worship it belonged to the parish of Kippel. Natural disasters struck it several times: the Milibach devastated it in 1876 and 2011, and the fire of 1900 destroyed all or nearly all its houses. Linked to the valley road in 1953, Wiler grew with the Lauchernalp cable car in 1972 and the ski lifts that made the Lauchern the tourist and sports centre of the valley. At the beginning of the 21st century the village still kept up a rich tradition of folk theatre and the customs of the Lötschental, such as the Segensonntag and the Tschäggätä.[1]
History of Wiler (Lötschen)
1363. Mentioned in the form « Wyllere ».[1]
1396. Mentioned in the form « Wiler ».[1]
1687. First mention of the Chapel of the Presentation of Mary in Wiler.[1]
1876. Devastation caused by the Milibach.[1]
1900. On 17 June a fire destroys all the houses in the village (or almost the whole village).[1][2]
1952. Construction of a chapel of the Virgin.[1]
1953. The village is served by the valley road.[1]
1966. The chapel of 1952 becomes the parish church. The Chapel of St Nicholas of Flüe on the Lauchernalp is attached to it.[1]
1972. Construction of the Lauchernalp cable car, followed by ski lifts, which make the Lauchern the tourist and sports centre of the valley.[1]
2011. Further devastation caused by the Milibach.[1]
Population of Wiler (Lötschen)
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1798 | 172 inhabitants |
| 1802 | 150 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 181 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 228 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 338 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 488 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 521 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Wiler (Lötschen)
Racharten. Oldest part of the village.[1]
Parish church. Chapel of the Virgin built in 1952, which became the parish church in 1966. A Chapel of the Presentation of Mary is mentioned in Wiler from 1687.[1]
Lauchernalp. Alpine pasture linked to the village by cable car since 1972, the tourist and sports centre of the valley, with the Chapel of St Nicholas of Flüe attached to the parish of Wiler.[1][2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (version allemande originale), « Wiler (Lötschen) » (Alois Grichting, version du 30.10.2013)
- Lötschental Marketing (loetschental.ch), « Villages of Lötschental and Steg-Hohtenn » (incendie du 17 juin 1900, Wiler)
- 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 Wiler (Lötschen)
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