Blatten

The last inhabited places in the Lötschental, at 1540 m above sea level, the picturesque village of Blatten and the neighbouring hamlets are part of the federal inventory of built sites to be protected in Switzerland, and the entire region is included in the protected Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn World Heritage Site.

If there is one village in the Lötschental that you must visit, this is it. The neo-Gothic church from the 19th century was unfortunately demolished in 1985 and the new modern-style church stands in curious contrast to the rest of the village, some of whose chalets date back to the 16th century.

Fortunately, the charm is still there and the old oven, the old sawmill and the community house still bear witness to the self-sufficiency of the past and the community consciousness that resulted from it.

Blatten remained very isolated and agriculture and livestock farming dominated until 1954, when the carriage road was built, enabling the inhabitants to work in the lowlands for a day or a week.

Nowadays, the village has become a nice little tourist destination without having lost its character. With only 300 inhabitants and a very limited infrastructure compared to Wiler further down the valley, Blatten has escaped mass tourism, much to the delight of those seeking authenticity above all.

Blatten is our favourite place in this mysterious valley on the edge of the Upper Valais!