HIKING IN VERCORIN

Vercorin bears witness to the past thanks, above all, to its church consecrated in 1508 by the Valaisan cardinal Matthieu Schiner. The heritage also includes the recognition of the work of the local craftsmen as well as the discovery of the life of the mountain peasantry such as the visit of the mountain pasture.

Vercorin, an old village, populated in the past centuries, has been neglected in favor of the plain. While the peasantry exhausted its last forces, tourism favored the settlement of new families who, for the most part, found work in small businesses, crafts and local shops. This tourist phenomenon, far from destroying the cultural identity of Vercorin, has revived it. The first foreigners who came to Vercorin benefited from the warm hospitality of the parish, and from 1932 onwards it was possible to rent rooms at the Place et Poste guesthouse. Two cafés, the Place et Poste and the Mayens, as well as two grocery stores provided service in the village. In the 1940’s, some middle-class families from Sierre, attracted by the charm of Vercorin, came to spend the summer and built the first second homes. New hotels opened, including the famous Victoria, which attracted an international clientele. In the early 1960s, the first buildings and chalets appeared. Tourism took a new turn in the 1970s with the creation of the tourist office, which provided mainly sports and folklore activities. Then appeared more family activities. A children’s ski lift was built and a day care center was created. 1981 corresponds to the peak of the tourist exploitation of the village. It can be reached by a cable car (source : wikipedia)