Highest inhabited part of Lötschental, 1540 m above the sea, this picturesque village is a Swiss Heritage Site, and the region is included in the Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area (UNESCO 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, 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!
Useful links
Swiss Canton of
Valais (iSwitzerland Guide) -
Wikipedia