Val de Bagnes
Val de Bagnes, also called the Vallée de Bagnes (German: Bangital or Baniental[1]) is a valley located in the Entremont District in the Canton of Valais of Switzerland.
| Val de Bagnes | |
|---|---|
 View of the Val de Bagnes (right) and the Rhone Valley (left) from Martigny. | |
  Val de Bagnes | |
| Length | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Geography | |
| Population centers | See below |
| Coordinates | 46°1′18″N 07°18′36″E |
| Rivers | Drance |
Geography
Val de Bagnes is traversed by the Drance de Bagnes. In the upper part of the valley is the Lac de Mauvoisin and towards the southern end of the valley the Glacier de Fenêtre[2] and the Chanrion Hut. From Val de Bagnes, the Aosta Valley can be reached via the Fenêtre de Durand in the Grand Combin. At Sembrancher, the Val de Bagnes flows into the Val d’Entremont.
The main mountain peaks in Val de Bagnes are:
- Grand Combin 4,314 ft (1,315 m)
- La Ruinette 3,875 ft (1,181 m)
- Mont Blanc de Cheilon 3,870 ft (1,180 m)
- Petit Combin 3,663 ft (1,116 m)
- Mont Gelé 3,518 ft (1,072 m)
- Pointe d'Otemma 3,403 ft (1,037 m)
- Rosablanche 3,336 ft (1,017 m)
- Mont Avril 3,346 ft (1,020 m)
Municipalities
In Val de Bagnes, there are the political communities of Bagnes - one of the largest communities in Switzerland in terms of area - and Vollèges. The most famous resort in Val de Bagnes is Verbier. Other villages are:
- Sembrancher
- Le Châble
- Bruson
- Versegères
- Lourtier
- Sarreyer
- Fionnay
- Louvie
- Sery
- Plenaz-Dzeu
- Lourtier
- Champsec
- Mauvoisin
Tourism
Tourism emerged in Val de Bagnes at the end of the 19th century. Numerous infrastructure projects have been carried out for tourism; the Médran chairlift was built in 1950 (winter tourism); Summer tourism began in Fionnay as early as 1890, then also in Bruson and Verbier.[3]
Transport
- Val de Bagnes is accessible by rail through the Martigny–Orsières Railway. The Martinach–Sembrancher line, which continues to Orsières into the Val d’Entremont, was completed in 1910, the Sembrancher – Le Châble branch line into the Val de Bagnes in 1952.[3]
- At Martigny, the A21/H21 branches off from the A9 in the direction of the Great St Bernard Tunnel and branches off at Sembrancher into the Val de Bagnes and Val d’Entremont.
References
- Im Jahre 1481 -> Banienlal in Schweizer Chronik von Johannes Stumpf, 1547/1548 Zürich.
- Glacier de Fenêtre auf ETHorama
- Bagnes, Val de in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.