Park communities & area
The Binntal Landscape Park comprises the four villages of Binn, Ernen, Grengiols and Bister. Its most important features are its valuable natural and cultural landscapes and significant townscape. The typical, historically evolved forms of settlement are villages and hamlets.
Population and economy
Number of inhabitants
According to the Cantonal Office for Statistics of the Canton of Valais (31.12.2021), the total number of inhabitants is 1,091. These are distributed among the individual villages as follows
Binn | 125 | ||
Bister | 33 | ||
Ernen | 518 | ||
Grengiols | 415 | ||
total | 1091 |
Economy
Since the second half of the 20th century, the regional economy has been undergoing a long-term structural change from an agricultural to a service society with a shift in jobs from agriculture and trade to services. In the course of this transformation, numerous jobs were lost in the craft and trade sector, which could be compensated for to some extent by the growth of the service sector - primarily induced by tourism. Since the mid-1990s, the effects of urbanization and globalization have become increasingly noticeable through the concentration of growth in the agglomerations and the depletion of peripheral areas. However, the region has a certain potential for innovative, marketable products and services, the valorization of which should enable an economic reorientation and stabilization of the socio-economic situation.
Area
The Binntal Landscape Park covers the entire area of the municipalities of Binn, Ernen (including Ausserbinn, Mühlebach, Steinhaus), Grengiols and Bister. According to the FOEN, all four park municipalities are located in biogeographical region 4 "Western Central Alps".
Municipality | Area (ha) |
---|---|
Binn | 6'503 |
Bister | 584 |
Ernen | 3'538 |
Grengiols | 5'846 |
Total | 16'471 |

© Pedro Rodrigues
Binn
The pretty mountain village of Binn lies at 1400 meters above sea level. The name Binn only came about in more recent times. Originally, the main settlement with the SwissHistoric Hotel Ofenhorn and the beautiful stone bridge was called Schmidigehischere. The parish church with the patron saint St. Michael adorns the townscape of the hamlet of Wileren. The village is of national importance and was awarded the Heritage Protection Prize in 1992.
The hamlets of Ze Binne, Heiligkreuz, Giessen and Fäld also belong to Binn. Fäld was the first village in Switzerland to receive the medal of the "Archicultura" foundation on August 1, 1998 - for its intact, harmonious and picturesque townscape. Heiligkreuz is an old pilgrimage site in Valais and a very special place of strength.
Link to the website of the municipality of Binn: www.binn.ch
Bister
One of the first written records of Bister dates back to 1374 (in the Bystur). The scattered settlement lies on a hillside terrace to the west of Grengiols and consists of the two main hamlets of Egga and Dorfji as well as several other groups of individual farm buildings. The St. Anna Chapel in the hamlet of Bänna with a baroque altar dating from 1698 was built in 1651.
The municipal area stretches from Rotten at 770 m above sea level to the 2993-metre-high Bättlihorn and consists mainly of forest and agricultural meadows and pastures. Today, Bister is one of the smallest municipalities in Switzerland.
Ernen
With 509 inhabitants, Ernen is the most populous village in the Binntal Landscape Park. Ernen used to be the capital of the Goms district and the seat of jurisdiction. The dungeons in the town hall (former district prison) and the gallows on the hill between Ernen and Mühlebach bear witness to this.
In 1979, Ernen was awarded the Henri-Louis-Wakker Prize by the Swiss Heritage Society thanks to the preservation of the village center with its wonderful historic buildings such as the Tellenhaus with the oldest Tell frescoes in Switzerland, the Capuchin House and the Jost Sigristen House. Over the last few decades, Ernen has made a name for itself as a music village, hosting high-quality classical concerts with international artists in summer.
Ernen also includes the villages of Mühlebach with the oldest compact wooden village center in Switzerland, as well as Ausserbinn and Steinhaus with their lovingly restored village chapels
Link to the website of the municipality of Ernen: www.ernen.ch
Grengiols
The Valais mountain village with its rural tradition is situated in a well-preserved cultural landscape on the old trade route over the Albrun Pass. The village center with its narrow, steep alley and almost circular village square is of national importance. The landmark of Grengiols is the monumental neo-Romanesque church built in 1914.
Grengiols fell victim to fire in 1799. More than 22 residential buildings and 80 farm buildings were destroyed by the flames. After the fire, the village was rebuilt in just a few years. In more recent times, Grengiols has become known as a tulip village - thanks to a unique species of wild tulip that blooms in the second half of May in some of the old rye fields.
The pretty hamlets of Ze Hyschere and Bächerhyschere also belong to Grengiols. On the hiking trail to Ernen and Binn lies the beautifully situated hamlet of Hockmatta, which is no longer inhabited all year round.
Link to the website of the municipality of Grengiols: www.grengiols.ch