Nenda: In search of the old city

At first glance, it may seem that Nenda is such a modern city-chalet, rapidly around the lift over the past few decades. Lee joke, the capacity of this village, who first adopted holidaymakers in 1925, – 22,000 tourists. It is measured here and measure – in beds. Here they are just 22,000. 5600 people of local residents. Silent calculations will help estimate the approximate number of houses and apartments in these places (given that hotels here are only three). Lifting up on the gondola on the Trocoue (2200 m), the first half of the way you fly over countless stages with chalet. From the cabin, you can also often see people moving on the slope with the suitcases to parking – so highly climbed their apartments.

By the way, you will book housing, respond to location. So, for example, we live downstairs in the very center, 5 minutes walk from the ski lift, and our friends removed the cozy chalet with three lines above and you can only get to each other by the car, otherwise the campaigning turns into a real ascent on the serpentine. After a long day of riding and pairs of beds "van sho" Such charging is already able to only most persistent.

However, as it turned out, the undend is not so new and tourist, as it looks like a naked eye. The most inquisitive can go on regular excursions to the old town, arranged by the office on tourism (on Mondays, 5 francs per person). Loading such an hour and a half hours, the guide speaks English and French, but even if you are not friendly with tongues, it will be interesting and without explanation. Or you can print this text as a mini-guidebook.

A very pretty old city begins right behind the tourism office, although, apparently, the tourist’s leg is rarely steps – so it’s quiet and silent. At first we saw the first resort hotel – Mont Calme, opened in 1959 and reconstructed in 1994. Now he is pretending to be modern outside, but, as they say, all the same nostalgic-wooden inside. Immediately at the office on tourism, do not miss two sculptural compositions – a monument to family rest (dad and son and daughter) and carved right in the trunk of a growing tree shape of a praying woman.

Next begins the real Switzerland, how we are used to thinking about it. Old chalet from the visual species, but it seems that has become only the best tree over the years. Red or green shutters, naive painted ornaments, cut chips and hearts on balconies. Everything is very cozy, homemade, well-groomed. The age of houses here is not accepted here – on the contrary, the locals are seemingly competed by the old, boasts, who will be better to maintain the original appearance of its construction.

At the start of our route, we saw the first summer house-chalet in the village, built by some Belgian in 1950, as well as the house of the XVI century, in which the so-called so-called "Door for soul" (La Porte Des Ames) – a small hole from the tree next to the window that opened when a man died in the house. In the Nenda area, the same windows in the villages of Brignon and Sakntans remained.

Further, the chalet on the way came across when the sacrament of centuries-old wood, warehouses for storing edible supplies, grains and dried meat, cowpers (alaves, Alpage), how they are called here. Here for many centuries from the valley raise the cows for the summer to graze on juicy alpine fields. The foundation of many buildings is raised above the ground of centimeters by 50 – it made it possible to protect the house from mice and well ventilate a wooden foundation.

The route loops strictly down and we are already dangerous look back, evaluating how cool will have to rise. However, the view of Sion, which opened at the Church of St. Michel, the Valley of Rhons and Mountains breaths the Spirit and distracts from thoughts about a complex lift. Here you can see the church in a pacifying type of a cemetery with some very artistic grades with stained glass windows, copper birds and stones. The church itself is quite impressive sizes, built from 1943 to 1953 by architect Lucien Pretz from the upper end. Local volunteers on weekends actively took part and helped on construction. All finishing and interior decoration were completed by local masters, including the artist known here – Francis Misha, who made paintings on the walls. In 1947, the famous Wali artist Paul Mones was invited here, who worked on the frescoes in the choral part of the Church.

Next we go along the old part of the city to the chapel of San Michel, standing here since 1499. Our guide Patricia pulls out a huge key of a folding umbrella from his pocket and opens the heavy door of a tiny church. Here, it seems to be labeled ten people. The chapel was restored several times, but since the XVIII century no longer changed her species. After the construction of a new church was forgotten and slightly abandoned. In 1960, some local resident even bought it in private property and was going to turn her into a pigsty. However, the local population defended the chapel and now some parishioners pray only here despite the spacious lively temple in the neighborhood.

Murals made "Deserter", local celebrity, in honor of which even named street and hotel. Legend says that his real name is Charles Frederick Brun and it comes from French Colmar. Fled to these edges Deserter during the time of the French revolution in 1830. He lived in Nende since 1846 to 1871, until his death in the neighboring village of Weison. Worked up with arts, walked around the villages and painted on religious topics in exchange for food and housing. Now in the chapel you can see his painting, dated 1856. Next door Do not miss the cuff cafe CAF&# 233; De La Place, perfectly suitable for our time travel – It is pleasant to sit here in the old, trimmed with a tree interior with a cup of tea with alpine herbs.

Previously, the chapel was the old center of Nenda. The commune was considered one of the largest trees in the canton – 1300 roofs, so life in these edges was boiling and day and night. Residents grown strawberries and a variety of cereals, there were fields of rye, oats, wheat, buckwheat, which was cooled to sell in the neighboring villages.

A large amount of grain required treatment, so at the end of the XIX century 12 mills actively worked in Nende. Now there is only one – Mill Melnica, completely renovated in accordance with the old traditions. Here the enthusiastic servant will show in all the details, as the millstone arranged and will explain the principle of operation of complex gears, grieving all Machina. The mill is the final part of the route, after which it is just a steep rise back to the city center, but the organizers of the excursion seems to be ingeniously invented.

Monsieur Melnik After a detailed story, two bottles of Swiss red wine scatters and puts meat and cheese plates on the table. All participants in the group are animatedly chatting the following half an hour (with us there was a cheerful family from Belgium), and then imperceptibly overcome the steep section of the end of the route. With children to go through this path is not very simple, however, lovers of exercises of the average difficulty will probably enjoy overcome this path and with wheelchairs.

Some facts:

The first references to Nende are found in the books in 985
In 1798, Nenda became part of the canton shaft.
In 1955 – the first rink and sports center opened
1958 – Construction of the NENDAZ Tracouet lift. Now the third version of this feature.
1966 – Construction of the first apartments
From 1966 to 1975 – Tourist boom