Top 18 Castles in the Valais

Château de Saint-Maurice

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The Château de Saint-Maurice, also known as the “Castle of the Governors”, is located at the entrance to Saint-Maurice in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. This impressive castle is built on the Saint-Maurice Gorge, a location bordered by a steep escarpment on one side and the Rhone River on the other. The castle has a rich history and once played an important role in military and judicial affairs.

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Stockalper Palace

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The Stockalper Palace is perhaps the most imposing palace of the 17th century that can be found in Switzerland. Kaspar Stockalper was the builder and owner of his time, hence the name. He was a comparatively unscrupulous early capitalist of his day, who had no shame in bribing, cheating, and buying or selling anything that promised him any profit. It was the envy of his fellow human beings that at some point drove them to exile him from his estate. - In addition to the moral of the story, the really impressive castle remained, which regularly presents itself from its most beautiful side in the sunset and is clearly worth a photo. Incidentally, the best view of this is from the park in front.

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Saillon Medieval Village

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Saillon "little town"
First mentioned in 1052 as the castle of the Bishop of Sion. Under the rule of the Savoys, the town was one of the most important commercial and military bases in the Valais until 1475
Saillon's history begins early. Hunters from the Mesolithic period (ca. 10,000 - 5,500 BC) may have occupied the portal of the Poteu cave. However, excavations in the first half of the 20th century could not attest to their presence. Saillon was then continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period (Bourneaux's tomb, 4,000 BC) and the Bronze Age (around twenty tombs reported at the foot of the hill between the Salentze and Bourneaux rivers). The remains of an important Roman villa from the 2nd century near the Salentze river indicate the importance of the site at that time. On the same site, the first Christian sanctuary of Saillon was built in the 6th century. The foundations of the walls of this Carolingian church are still visible and the reworked chancel forms the current St. Lawrence Chapel. When anarchy and insecurity replaced the order that reigned in Charlemagne's empire, the population of Saillon retreated to the more easily defended hill. It is known that a castle stood in Saillon in 1052, as it was one of the properties donated to the Chapter of Sion by Bishop Aymon of Savoy. Its strategic location was of interest to Savoy, which took possession of Saillon at the beginning of the 13th century. Around 1260, Pierre II had the city walls reinforced and the Bayart keep built, whose name comes from Lady Bayart, the owner of the property. The Dukes of Savoy had the ambition to turn Saillon into a fairground that would provide shade for their enemy, the Bishop of Sion. It should also be noted that the first written mention of vines in Valais appears in 1052. The dream of glory came to an end in 1475 when patriots from Upper Valais took over Lower Valais and set fire to the Savoyard castles, including that of Saillon. From then on, the village quickly became a peaceful village in the countryside again
Text / Source: Association, The most beautiful Swiss villages, Lugano
borghisvizzera.ch/de/scheda/saillon

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La Bâtiaz Covered Bridge, Martigny

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Pont de la Bâtiaz (wooden bridge), Martigny
This is the last wooden bridge in Valais that is still navigable.
Here, a bridge was swept away by the floods of the Dranse river in 1635 and later by the Giétroz debacle (1818). A new bridge was then built in 1829, covered with a structure supported by larch wood arches. The bridge was consolidated in 1920 and is the last arched bridge in Valais that is still navigable.
Text / Source: Office de Tourisme de Martigny
martigny.com/de/aktivitaten/holzbruecke-la-batiaz-5286/?gt-reset

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Sion

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A city in the Canton of Valais, Sion is located at an altitude of 500m, in a valley along the Rhône, surrounded by the Swiss mountains and winter sports resorts. There are numerous access points to the summits with Crans-Montana, Verbier and many other resorts not far away!

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Basilica of Valère

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Valère Castle, Sion / Sitten
The castle and basilica of Valeria, named in honor of Valeriana, mother of the Roman city prefect Titus Campanius Priscus Maximianus, who is attested in 43 AD, are located on one of the two hills that the city of Sion on the eastern side of the old town tower above. Already laid out in Celtic times, the castle and church were first mentioned in a document in 1049. The oldest parts of the three-aisled basilica, divided into four bays, with a transept and two chapels flanking the choir, were built between 1100 and 1130 in the High Romanesque style. The tower above the north transept, the polygonal window floors above the semicircular apse and the barrel vault above the pillars were added later. In the 13th century, the nave and aisles were given a cross-belt vault, modeled on the Lausanne Cathedral. The rood screen separating the choir from the nave was also installed at this time. Laid out as a pilgrimage church of “Our Lady of Valeria”, the miraculous image, a Gothic marble statue of the Madonna with the baby Jesus from the beginning of the 15th century, forms the central element of the church. Today it stands high above the high altar. Pictures of apostles, prophets and national saints decorate the walls of the choir.
Text / Source: Wikipedia
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_de_Val%C3%A8re

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Château Mercier

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The Château Mercier, formerly Castle Pradegg Hill Name on which it is based, is a manor house built in 1908, is located in the municipality of Switzerland in Sierre in the canton of Valais.

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Leuk Old Town and Castle

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The climb to Leuk Stadt is very worthwhile. Nice view and historic buildings. The ossuary by the church is particularly recommended.

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Valère Castle

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Dominating the Sion skyline from one of the two hills overlooking the capital of Valais, Valère Castle is a fortified complex that seems suspended in time. Inside, it houses the Basilica of Our Lady of Valère, an architectural masterpiece blending Romanesque and Gothic styles. The castle is world-renowned for housing one of the oldest functioning organs on the planet, dating back to the 14th century, whose notes still resonate within the medieval walls today. Strolling through its courtyards and ramparts, one enjoys an unparalleled view of the Rhône Valley and the surrounding peaks. The sacred and military atmosphere of the fortified village reflects centuries of history and spiritual power, making it an unmistakable symbol of the Swiss landscape.

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