Fountain walk in Bex, village version.
Route Information
Description
The Fountain Walk is a reflection of the life of the districts. The fountains become a thread in the history of the town. A fountain is just a fountain. A marble or granite basin and flowing water. And sometimes a pretty goat, because that's what the pillar where the spout is fixed is called in French.
That said, let's stop for a moment and listen to the sounds of history. Not so long ago, the fountain was a real place of life, pleasure and work. Today, the social role of some of them still exists. This can be seen in particular at Crétel, at stage 13. In Bex, fountains are to be found almost everywhere. This is normal, since the municipality of nearly 100 km2 is a real water tower, pure and excellent, coming down from the nearby mountains, from the Diablerets, the Muveran, the Argentine Peak or the Vallon de Nant. Most of these fountains date from the 19th or early 20th century. Once again, fountains were often at the heart of vital and social activities. Especially for the women, who were busy washing the family laundry and telling stories. But the water from the fountains was also used to extinguish fires, to inflate barrels, to water animals, and to provoke quarrels when neighbouring houses were sometimes flooded or when the authorities were slow to restore the roof damaged by a large vehicle. The walk we propose becomes a reflection of the life of the neighbourhoods. The fountains also become a thread in the history of the town, from the 18th century to the present day. Some have a very strong symbolic interest, such as the one in the Glarey district (stage 11), while others are simple functional achievements in districts that have embraced modernity. Have a nice walk!
Practical Information
A brochure is available (in French only) at the Bex tourist offices.
Links
The Fountain Walk is a reflection of the life of the districts. The fountains become a thread in the history of the town. A fountain is just a fountain. A marble or granite basin and flowing water. And sometimes a pretty goat, because that's what the pillar where the spout is fixed is called in French.
That said, let's stop for a moment and listen to the sounds of history. Not so long ago, the fountain was a real place of life, pleasure and work. Today, the social role of some of them still exists. This can be seen in particular at Crétel, at stage 13. In Bex, fountains are to be found almost everywhere. This is normal, since the municipality of nearly 100 km2 is a real water tower, pure and excellent, coming down from the nearby mountains, from the Diablerets, the Muveran, the Argentine Peak or the Vallon de Nant. Most of these fountains date from the 19th or early 20th century. Once again, fountains were often at the heart of vital and social activities. Especially for the women, who were busy washing the family laundry and telling stories. But the water from the fountains was also used to extinguish fires, to inflate barrels, to water animals, and to provoke quarrels when neighbouring houses were sometimes flooded or when the authorities were slow to restore the roof damaged by a large vehicle. The walk we propose becomes a reflection of the life of the neighbourhoods. The fountains also become a thread in the history of the town, from the 18th century to the present day. Some have a very strong symbolic interest, such as the one in the Glarey district (stage 11), while others are simple functional achievements in districts that have embraced modernity. Have a nice walk!
Practical Information
A brochure is available (in French only) at the Bex tourist offices.