Saas-Fee
Encyclopedia
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality
in the district of Visp in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
. The villages in its neighborhood are Saas-Almagell
, Saas-Grund
and Saas-Balen
.
Its location close to the glaciers of the Dom
and the Allalinhorn
provides winter sport opportunities throughout the year, and neighbouring peaks such as the Weissmies
, the Nadelhorn
and the Lenzspitze
are popular climbs in the summer season. The community is considered to be a very attractive winter sport destination in the Swiss Alps
. Typical activities include skiing
, carving, snowshoe
trekking, canyon climbing
and ice climbing
.
Saas-Fee offers 22 lifts, including 3 cable cars, 1 funicular railway (Metro Alpin
), 5 gondolas (1 dedicated to walkers), 2 chairlifts, the remainder being surface lifts (draglifts). The ski run has a vertical drop of 1,800 m (5,906 ft), a top elevation of 3,550 m (11,647 ft) and covers 100 km (62.1 mi) (30 km (18.6 mi) beginner, 45 km (28 mi) intermediate, 25 km (15.5 mi) advanced). Other activities include snowboarding
(halfpipe and park), paragliding
, hang gliding
, and tobogganing.
Saas-Fee can be reached by car or bus—postal buses run during much of the day half-hourly from Brig
and Visp
, though none provides a service beyond the bus terminal through the length of the town during the winter. No cars are allowed to enter the city (they have to be parked in special car parks outside); only small electric vehicles operate on the streets (and some petrol-driven garbage trucks). The decision to exclude most motor vehicles was made by the village at the time of the construction of the road from Saas Grund in 1951.
The resort offers many culture, sports and off-slope activities, including classical music, a sports and leisure complex, restaurants, and nightclubs. The resort features the highest underground funicular railway in the world up to the skiing area and the highest revolving restaurant
in the world at 3,500 m (11,500 feet). The touristic slogan of Saas-Fee is "Die Perle der Alpen" (The pearl of the Alps). The campus of the European Graduate School
, is located in Saas-Fee.
Houses are required to be 40 percent wooden, which is why the village often seems to blend in nicely with its surroundings.
Saas-Fee has an area, , of 40.6 square kilometre. Of this area, 5.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 83.6% is unproductive land.
The municipality is located in the Visp district, Die am Fuss des Doms gelegene Gem. ist von 13 Viertausendern umgeben.. It consists of the village of Saas-Fee and the hamlets
of Bez. Visp. Die am Fuss des Doms gelegene Gem. ist von 13 Viertausendern umgeben..
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure, the initials SSF Or between two Mullets [of Six] Argent in base Coupeaux Vert.
Most of the population speaks German
(1,243 or 85.5%) as their first language, Serbo-Croatian
is the second most common (98 or 6.7%) and Portuguese
is the third (47 or 3.2%). There are 16 people who speak French
, 12 people who speak Italian
and 2 people who speak Romansh.
Of the population in the municipality, 745 or about 51.2% were born in Saas-Fee and lived there in 2000. There were 200 or 13.8% who were born in the same canton, while 207 or 14.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 265 or 18.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 23.6% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 64.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.8%.
, there were 648 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 717 married individuals, 69 widows or widowers and 20 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 625 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. There were 243 households that consist of only one person and 34 households with five or more people. , a total of 604 apartments (39.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 864 apartments (56.4%) were seasonally occupied and 64 apartments (4.2%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.83%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 64.08% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(23.78%), the SVP
(7.06%) and the SP
(3.2%). In the federal election, a total of 678 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 67.1%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 703 votes were cast, of which 26 or about 3.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 69.5%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 666 votes were cast, of which 30 or about 4.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 66.3%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 1,197. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 2, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 124 of which 34 or (27.4%) were in manufacturing and 87 (70.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 1,071. In the tertiary sector; 181 or 16.9% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 125 or 11.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 615 or 57.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 17 or 1.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 32 or 3.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 17 or 1.6% were in education and 12 or 1.1% were in health care.
, there were 227 workers who commuted into the municipality and 65 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 3.5 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 6.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 4.3% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 81 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 5.57% of the population), and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. There was 1 individual who was Jewish
, and 12 (or about 0.83% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 22 (or about 1.51% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 55 individuals (or about 3.78% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 113 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.5% were Swiss men, 19.5% were Swiss women, 9.7% were non-Swiss men and 5.3% were non-Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 137 students in the Saas-Fee school system. The education system
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
. During that school year, there 2 kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and 32 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Saas-Fee there were a total of 8 classes and 137 students in the primary school. The secondary school
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower and upper secondary students from Saas-Fee attend their school in a neighboring municipality.
, there were 73 students from Saas-Fee who attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Visp in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The villages in its neighborhood are Saas-Almagell
Saas-Almagell
Saas-Almagell is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Saas-Almagell is first mentioned in 1291 as Armenzello. In 1307 it was mentioned as Almenkel.-Geography:...
, Saas-Grund
Saas-Grund
Saas-Grund is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies east of Lenzspitze and Dom.-Geography:Saas-Grund has an area, , of . Of this area, 11.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.5% is forested...
and Saas-Balen
Saas-Balen
Saas-Balen is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies at the foot of the Mischabelhörner and Dom.-Geography:...
.
Overview
Dom (mountain)
The Dom is a mountain in the Pennine Alps above Saas Fee in the canton of Valais. With its summit it is the third highest peak in the Alps and the second highest in Switzerland...
and the Allalinhorn
Allalinhorn
The Allalinhorn is a mountain in the Mischabelhörner group of the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies west of Saas-Fee in the canton of Valais....
provides winter sport opportunities throughout the year, and neighbouring peaks such as the Weissmies
Weissmies
The Weissmies is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland near the village of Saas-Fee. It is the easternmost four-thousander of its range.- Geography :...
, the Nadelhorn
Nadelhorn
The Nadelhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the highest point on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. Its three ridges join to form a sharp-pointed summit, which looks like a...
and the Lenzspitze
Lenzspitze
The Lenzspitze is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the southernmost peak on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south, north of Dom in the Mischabel range, above the resort of Saas Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west.It was first climbed in August...
are popular climbs in the summer season. The community is considered to be a very attractive winter sport destination in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
. Typical activities include skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, carving, snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
trekking, canyon climbing
Canyoning
Canyoning is traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling, and/or swimming....
and ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
.
Saas-Fee offers 22 lifts, including 3 cable cars, 1 funicular railway (Metro Alpin
Metro Alpin
The Metro Alpin is the highest subway in the world. It is an underground funicular situated above Saas Fee in Switzerland in the Valais canton....
), 5 gondolas (1 dedicated to walkers), 2 chairlifts, the remainder being surface lifts (draglifts). The ski run has a vertical drop of 1,800 m (5,906 ft), a top elevation of 3,550 m (11,647 ft) and covers 100 km (62.1 mi) (30 km (18.6 mi) beginner, 45 km (28 mi) intermediate, 25 km (15.5 mi) advanced). Other activities include snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
(halfpipe and park), paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
, hang gliding
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
, and tobogganing.
Saas-Fee can be reached by car or bus—postal buses run during much of the day half-hourly from Brig
Brig, Switzerland
Brig, officially Brig-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.The current municipality was formed in 1972 through the merger of Brig , Brigerbad and Glis.-History:...
and Visp
Visp
Visp is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-Geography:Visp has an area, , of . Of this area, 17.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 59.7% is forested...
, though none provides a service beyond the bus terminal through the length of the town during the winter. No cars are allowed to enter the city (they have to be parked in special car parks outside); only small electric vehicles operate on the streets (and some petrol-driven garbage trucks). The decision to exclude most motor vehicles was made by the village at the time of the construction of the road from Saas Grund in 1951.
The resort offers many culture, sports and off-slope activities, including classical music, a sports and leisure complex, restaurants, and nightclubs. The resort features the highest underground funicular railway in the world up to the skiing area and the highest revolving restaurant
Revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant is a usually tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on the revolving floor. The revolving rate varies between one and three times...
in the world at 3,500 m (11,500 feet). The touristic slogan of Saas-Fee is "Die Perle der Alpen" (The pearl of the Alps). The campus of the European Graduate School
European Graduate School
The European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
, is located in Saas-Fee.
Houses are required to be 40 percent wooden, which is why the village often seems to blend in nicely with its surroundings.
History
Saas-Fee is first mentioned in 1304 as vee. The municipality was formerly known by its French name Fée, however, that name is no longer used.Geography
The municipality is located in the Visp district, Die am Fuss des Doms gelegene Gem. ist von 13 Viertausendern umgeben.. It consists of the village of Saas-Fee and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Bez. Visp. Die am Fuss des Doms gelegene Gem. ist von 13 Viertausendern umgeben..
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Azure, the initials SSF Or between two Mullets [of Six] Argent in base Coupeaux Vert.
Demographics
Saas-Fee has a population of . , 28.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 3.4%. It has changed at a rate of 0.5% due to migration and at a rate of 6.3% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(1,243 or 85.5%) as their first language, Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
is the second most common (98 or 6.7%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the third (47 or 3.2%). There are 16 people who speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 12 people who speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and 2 people who speak Romansh.
Of the population in the municipality, 745 or about 51.2% were born in Saas-Fee and lived there in 2000. There were 200 or 13.8% who were born in the same canton, while 207 or 14.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 265 or 18.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 23.6% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 64.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.8%.
, there were 648 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 717 married individuals, 69 widows or widowers and 20 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 625 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. There were 243 households that consist of only one person and 34 households with five or more people. , a total of 604 apartments (39.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 864 apartments (56.4%) were seasonally occupied and 64 apartments (4.2%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.83%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
which received 64.08% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(23.78%), the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(7.06%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(3.2%). In the federal election, a total of 678 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 67.1%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 703 votes were cast, of which 26 or about 3.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 69.5%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 666 votes were cast, of which 30 or about 4.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 66.3%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Saas-Fee had an unemployment rate of 3.3%. , there were 5 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 131 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 19 businesses in this sector. 1,169 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 182 businesses in this sector. There were 883 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.8% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 1,197. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 2, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 124 of which 34 or (27.4%) were in manufacturing and 87 (70.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 1,071. In the tertiary sector; 181 or 16.9% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 125 or 11.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 615 or 57.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 17 or 1.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 32 or 3.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 17 or 1.6% were in education and 12 or 1.1% were in health care.
, there were 227 workers who commuted into the municipality and 65 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 3.5 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 6.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 4.3% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,177 or 80.9% were Roman Catholic, while 101 or 6.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 81 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 5.57% of the population), and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. There was 1 individual who was Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 12 (or about 0.83% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 22 (or about 1.51% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 55 individuals (or about 3.78% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Saas-Fee about 613 or (42.2%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 113 or (7.8%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 113 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.5% were Swiss men, 19.5% were Swiss women, 9.7% were non-Swiss men and 5.3% were non-Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 137 students in the Saas-Fee school system. The education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. During that school year, there 2 kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and 32 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Saas-Fee there were a total of 8 classes and 137 students in the primary school. The secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower and upper secondary students from Saas-Fee attend their school in a neighboring municipality.
, there were 73 students from Saas-Fee who attended schools outside the municipality.
Mountains
| Peak | Elevation | First climbed |
|---|---|---|
| Ulrichshorn Ulrichshorn The Ulrichshorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is part of the Mischabel range, which culminates at the Dom .-External links:* *... |
3925 m (12,877.3 ft) | 1848-08-10 |
| Strahlhorn Strahlhorn The Strahlhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.-Reference:* Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, London: Diadem, 1994... |
4190 m (13,746.7 ft) | 1854-08-15 |
| Fletschhorn Fletschhorn The Fletschhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies to the north of the Lagginhorn and the Weissmies in the same massif, to the east of the Saastal.... |
3996 m (13,110.2 ft) | 1854-08-28 |
| Weissmies Weissmies The Weissmies is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland near the village of Saas-Fee. It is the easternmost four-thousander of its range.- Geography :... |
4023 m (13,198.8 ft) | 1855 - August |
| Lagginhorn Lagginhorn The Lagginhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies a few kilometres north of the slightly higher Weissmies and also close to the slightly lower Fletschhorn on the north.... |
4010 m (13,156.2 ft) | 1856-08-26 |
| Allalinhorn Allalinhorn The Allalinhorn is a mountain in the Mischabelhörner group of the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies west of Saas-Fee in the canton of Valais.... |
4027 m (13,211.9 ft) | 1856-08-28 |
| Latelhorn Latelhorn Latelhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the Swiss-Italian border.-External links:*... |
3198 m (10,492.1 ft) | 1856-08-28 |
| Dom Dom (mountain) The Dom is a mountain in the Pennine Alps above Saas Fee in the canton of Valais. With its summit it is the third highest peak in the Alps and the second highest in Switzerland... |
4545 m (14,911.4 ft) | 1858-09-11 |
| Nadelhorn Nadelhorn The Nadelhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the highest point on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. Its three ridges join to form a sharp-pointed summit, which looks like a... |
4327 m (14,196.2 ft) | 1858-09-16 |
| Rimpfischhorn Rimpfischhorn The Rimpfischhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps of Switzerland.The first ascent of the mountain was by Leslie Stephen and Robert Living with guides Melchior Anderegg and Johann Zumtaugwald on 9 September 1859. Their route of ascent was from Fluh Alp via the Rimpfischwänge.-External links:* *... |
4198 m (13,773 ft) | 1859-09-09 |
| Alphubel Alphubel The Alphubel is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is part of the Mischabel range, which culminates at the Dom .... |
4206 m (13,799.2 ft) | 1860-08-09 |
| Täschhorn Täschhorn The Täschhorn is a mountain in the Mischabelhörner group of the Pennine Alps in Switzerland, lying south of Dom.The first ascent of the mountain was by the Rev. John Llewelyn-Davies and Rev. J. W. Hayward with guides Stefan and Johann Zumtaugwald and Peter-Josef Summermatter on 30 July... |
4490 m (14,731 ft) | 1862-07-30 |
| Balfrin Balfrin The Balfrin is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. It lies in the Mischabelhörner, north of Dom.-External links:*... |
3795 m (12,450.8 ft) | 1863-07-06 |
| Hohberghorn Hohberghorn The Hohberghorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies towards the northern end of the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south, north of the Dom, above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west.It was first climbed by R. B... |
4219 m (13,841.9 ft) | 1869 |
| Südlenz | 4294 m (14,087.9 ft) | 1870 |
| Portjengrat Portjengrat Portjengrat is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the Swiss-Italian border. It is the highest peak in the Val d'Ossola-External links:*... |
3653 m (11,984.9 ft) | 1871-09-07 |
| Sonnighorn Sonnighorn Sonnighorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the Swiss-Italian border.-External links:*... |
3487 m (11,440.3 ft) | 1879 - August |
| Dürrenhorn Dürrenhorn The Dürrenhorn is a summit in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies towards the northern end of the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. It is part of the Mischabel range, which culminates at the Dom... |
4034 m (13,234.9 ft) | 1879-09-07 |
| Feechopf Feechopf Feechopf is a mountain in the Pennine Alps near Saas Fee in Switzerland.-External links:*... |
3888 m (12,755.9 ft) | 1883-07-28 |
| Stecknadelhorn Stecknadelhorn The Stecknadelhorn is a sub-summit to Dom in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west.... |
4242 m (13,917.3 ft) | 1887-08-08 |
In popular culture
Saas-Fee was one location where the video for Wham!'s hit single "Last Christmas" was filmed. The cable car that they get into to go up the mountain is labelled with the name "Saas-Fee" in the typical Saas-Fee font. This appears to be an artistic device as the cable car, now replaced by a more modern version, runs between the edge of Saas-Fee and Felskinn which is considerably above the normal height for residential buildingsPersonalities
- Arnold AndenmattenArnold AndenmattenArnold Andenmatten from Saas-Fee is a Swiss skier and skiing instructor.- Biography :Andenmatten was winner of the first classical glacier downhill skiing from the Allalinhorn down to Saas-Fee in 1946 . As a soldier he participated in the demonstration event, military patrol. He had the military...
(b. 1922, skier) - Alexander Burgener (1845-1910, mountain guide)
- Frederik Kalbermatten (b. 1981, snowboarder)
- Carl ZuckmayerCarl ZuckmayerCarl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...
(1896-1977, German writer, interred in Saas Fee) - Matthias ZurbriggenMatthias ZurbriggenMatthias Zurbriggen was one of the great 19th-century alpinists and mountain guides. He climbed throughout the Alps, and also in South America, the Himalayas and New Zealand...
(1856-1917, alpinist)
See also
- Metro AlpinMetro AlpinThe Metro Alpin is the highest subway in the world. It is an underground funicular situated above Saas Fee in Switzerland in the Valais canton....
- FelskinnFelskinnFelskinn is a minor summit in the Pennine Alps, situated near Saas Fee in Switzerland. It is the lower station of the Metro Alpin which gives access to Mittelallalin.-External links:*...
- European Graduate SchoolEuropean Graduate SchoolThe European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
- Brig-Visp-Zermatt railwayBVZ Zermatt-BahnThe Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn – officially known between 1991 and 2002 as the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn – is a metre gauge railway in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Its 44 kilometre long line links the communities of Brig and Visp in the Rhone Valley with Täsch and the car free holiday resort of Zermatt...