Erschmatt: Rye Culture and Village History

Erschmatt combines a cultural landscape shaped by rye with historic village buildings and paths leading into the mountain landscape. The terraced fields in Zälg lie northeast of the village at an altitude of 1,100 to 1,600 m above sea level. People from Erschmatt and Bratsch grew rye there for their own consumption.

Rye Landscape and Heritage Garden

In Zälg, the Erlebniswelt Roggen Erschmatt association and Pro Natura Valais restored a total of eleven terraces by ploughing them and planting winter rye. This created a habitat for many plants and animals that have become rare. The Erschmatt heritage garden provides a home for old Valais crops that are now rarely cultivated. It also cultivates rare arable-field plants adapted to sunny, dry grain fields. The garden thus showcases both the diversity of cultivated plants and the unique flora of these fields.

From June to August, a free guided tour of the heritage garden is offered on the first Saturday of each month. Check the dates before your trip. A guided village walk introduces Erschmatt’s history, traditions and buildings; these tours are available on request.

Baking Traditions and Hands-on Activities

At the Rye Workshop, you can learn about the journey from grain to bread through several stages: activities include threshing and winnowing grain, grinding the kernels, watching a film about bread baking, breaking bread and tasting rye products. The activity is also available year-round on request; check the arrangements before your trip.

“Bread & Fire” focuses on something different: exploring the places in the village where Valais rye bread is made, kneading and shaping sourdough rye bread together in the old bakery, and hearing Valais legends. You can take home the bread you shaped yourself. This activity is also available on request; confirm current availability in advance.

The Burgerhaus includes an old bakery and a communal oven with room for around 150 rye loaves. Traditional baking has been carried out there for more than 400 years and continues to this day. Baking is therefore not just the subject of a single experience, but also part of a village tradition that has endured to the present day.

Village Buildings and History

The Hohe Spycher, also known as “Heju Spiichär,” is a striking timber-block building dating from 1628, located in the old part of the village. Its barn supports and mouse plates rest on natural stone supports about three metres high. St. Michael’s Parish Church is also in the old part of the village and has been considered its centre for three centuries. Its white walls and helmet tower stand out against the dark wooden houses, which almost all face south.

The church was built between 1710 and 1713, and its patron saint is the Archangel Michael. The Baroque high altar and pulpit were consecrated in 1777, while the two side altars took their present form in 1840 and 1882. Two galleries divide the interior according to function: the upper one is for the organ and choir, and the lower one for the congregation. The current organ was built in 1984 by J. H. Füglister of Grimisuat.

The Heliodome has a different architectural form: its shape is determined by the sun’s path over the course of the day and year. The building is a private home and holiday house. For questions or possible visits, you can contact the owners, Gabriela and Herbert Lötscher.

Hiking and Nearby Destinations

The Leuk Sun Mountains Route passes through Engersch on its way to Erschmatt, crosses the village and goes by a heritage garden belonging to the Erschmatt Rye Centre in the Undri Zälg area. It is listed as an easy hike, covering 11.64 km and taking 3 hours and 20 minutes; the actual duration may vary depending on conditions and pace. The route starts at the Jeizinen gondola lift’s mountain station at 1,520 m and ends at Leuk railway station at 623 m. Check route conditions and relevant transport information before setting out.

From a bench at Hügostein, a glacial erratic from the last ice age, you can enjoy panoramic views of the village, the Weisshorn and the Rhône Valley. The boulder remained at its location in Erschmatt after the Rhône Glacier retreated about 14,000 years ago. It lies on the Erschmatt–Jeizinen hiking trail.

For a multi-day activity, Pferdetrekking Wallis offers a two-day tour starting in Erschmatt, with an overnight stay in an old alpine hut. The one-day tour begins and ends in Erschmatt and follows old mule tracks into the mountain landscape. Both activities are available seasonally; confirm availability before your trip.

Nearby, the Steinkännel in Bruu is another testament to Alpine cultural history. The water channel, which is more than 200 metres long, is connected with the irrigation of the meadows around Erschmatt and is considered a cultural monument. It can only be reached on foot: via a herders’ path from Obere Feselalp or, for experienced mountain hikers, via Geisstrittji from Bachalpe. Also nearby, the Hohe Brücke, known as the Devil’s Bridge, spans the Feschelbach between Erschmatt and Leuk; it dates from the 16th century.

Discover more destinations: Niedergampel, Ergisch, Salgesch, Unterems, Guttet-Feschel, Gampel-Bratsch, Oberems, Gampel.

Return to the main travel overview: Leuk.