Strolls in the village of Bex
Route Information
Description
A 45-minute walk through Bex discovering the history of this village and its captivating stories
Walking up the Avenue de la Gare, the keen-eyed walker will notice a multitude of buildings from the beginning of the 20th century with very different aspects. Houses of Art Nouveau, Heimatstil and cottage style stand side by side, bringing variety and diversity to the urban fabric, making it a unique example in the Chablais. But what was it that bit the Bellerins of this period? This tour invites the visitor to discover some of the architectural facets of the town, when it was still called Bex-les-Bains and attracted a cosmopolitan tourist public. The visit continues in the town and its surroundings to discover older buildings, some of which are linked to the Bernese past of Bex and its saltworks. A short history of Bex. The area around Bex was temporarily occupied during the Neolithic period (from 3000 BC) and the Bronze Age (around 1500-800 BC). From the end of the 1st century BC, the site of Bex was permanently inhabited, as it was located along the important transit route from Italy to Gaul via the Great St. Bernard Pass and Lake Geneva; a Roman villa was probably built there. Following the Romans, the Burgundians settled here (5th-6th centuries), soon to be driven out by the Franks. Between the year 600 and 1000, the site was temporarily abandoned in favour of small, better protected hamlets, established on the slopes of the neighbouring mountains (notably in the Monts pasture). The site was reoccupied in the 12th century: the first known document mentioning Bex (written "Baiz") dates from 1138. A small village under the control of the Dukes of Savoy until 1498, Bex then came under Bernese rule and adopted the Protestant Reformation in 1528. In the 18th century, it was famous for its fairs. Active during the Vaudois Revolution of 1798, it was severely impoverished by the military unrest in the Chablais and Lower Valais between 1798 and 1805. It developed rapidly from 1820 onwards thanks to the discovery of thermal springs and the creation of bathing establishments and hotels which attracted many wealthy foreign curists. This tourist boom was slowed down by the First World War but resumed, in a more modest proportion, between 1920 and 1939. From the 1940s onwards, the town developed, stimulated by the presence of a few local industries and fairly well-known boarding schools. It has experienced strong demographic growth over the last decade.
Practical Information
The printed brochure is available in the tourist offices of Bex, Villars and Gryon.
Links
A 45-minute walk through Bex discovering the history of this village and its captivating stories
Walking up the Avenue de la Gare, the keen-eyed walker will notice a multitude of buildings from the beginning of the 20th century with very different aspects. Houses of Art Nouveau, Heimatstil and cottage style stand side by side, bringing variety and diversity to the urban fabric, making it a unique example in the Chablais. But what was it that bit the Bellerins of this period? This tour invites the visitor to discover some of the architectural facets of the town, when it was still called Bex-les-Bains and attracted a cosmopolitan tourist public. The visit continues in the town and its surroundings to discover older buildings, some of which are linked to the Bernese past of Bex and its saltworks. A short history of Bex. The area around Bex was temporarily occupied during the Neolithic period (from 3000 BC) and the Bronze Age (around 1500-800 BC). From the end of the 1st century BC, the site of Bex was permanently inhabited, as it was located along the important transit route from Italy to Gaul via the Great St. Bernard Pass and Lake Geneva; a Roman villa was probably built there. Following the Romans, the Burgundians settled here (5th-6th centuries), soon to be driven out by the Franks. Between the year 600 and 1000, the site was temporarily abandoned in favour of small, better protected hamlets, established on the slopes of the neighbouring mountains (notably in the Monts pasture). The site was reoccupied in the 12th century: the first known document mentioning Bex (written "Baiz") dates from 1138. A small village under the control of the Dukes of Savoy until 1498, Bex then came under Bernese rule and adopted the Protestant Reformation in 1528. In the 18th century, it was famous for its fairs. Active during the Vaudois Revolution of 1798, it was severely impoverished by the military unrest in the Chablais and Lower Valais between 1798 and 1805. It developed rapidly from 1820 onwards thanks to the discovery of thermal springs and the creation of bathing establishments and hotels which attracted many wealthy foreign curists. This tourist boom was slowed down by the First World War but resumed, in a more modest proportion, between 1920 and 1939. From the 1940s onwards, the town developed, stimulated by the presence of a few local industries and fairly well-known boarding schools. It has experienced strong demographic growth over the last decade.
Practical Information
The printed brochure is available in the tourist offices of Bex, Villars and Gryon.