Leuk/Loège in Valais

28 May 2021

Leuk/ Loège, Susten, Erschmatt and a few small villages make up the municipality of Leuk, with a population of around 4 000.

The municipality of Leuk was one of seven Zenden/Dizains or municipalities that administered the Haut-Valais for centuries, with the Bas-Valais as their subject area. The city lies between Haut Valais and Bas-Valais, French-speaking and German-speaking Valais.

It was not until 1798 that the French invasion ended this division of the Valais. The town of Leuk lies over 700 metres amidst vineyards, rock formations and a dry landscape with no less than 3500 hours of sunshine annually.

This historic medieval town is home to various monuments, mazots, the town hall, the bishop’s castle, the late Gothic St. Stephen’s Church (1497) and its Romanesque tower from the 11th and 12th centuries with its Beinhaus (bone house), the late Baroque Ringaker’s Chapel and other medieval and Renaissance architecture.

The town offers a magnificent view of the Rhone valley and the Pfyn-Finges nature park. The lower town of Susten (650 metres) lies on the edge of the Pfynwald nature reserve and the Pfyn-Finges nature park.

The upper St. Theresa’s Church dominates the townscape. The village is mentioned in a document in 1302 under the name “Sust”.

(Source and further information: www.leuk.ch)