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culture
“Today it is World Heritage area. Once there, you will his wife erected a memorial on the mountain
impossible to see a distant, extravagant building with a big slope above the village, between the Villa
imagine that glass terrace, looking as if it is hanging on the and the hotel Belalp, at an elevation of 2340
the glacier cliff – the Belalp Hotel. If you go past it, you metres and in sight of the Aletsch Glacier.
will see the stone border – the Aletschboard, Both the memorial and Villa can be visited
tongue came from which the tongue of the majestic Aletsch on the ‘Tyndall trail’. His writings showed that
right up to glacier can be seen. Today it is impossible to he was attracted to the area by the glacier, the
this wall just imagine that the glacier tongue came right stunning natural scenes thereabouts and the
200-300 up to this wall just 200-300 years ago, as hospitable villagers. However, there may have
years ago, as nowadays it is so far away. The view is still been another attraction. This area is also one
nowadays fascinating, however, and in summer you can of the most legendary places in Switzerland.
see how tragically far the tongue has moved
it is so far away - since 2000, it has retreated 1 km.
away..” The historic Bealp Hotel is an unusual
building. Although today it looks very
modern with the glass terrace overlooking
the cliff, it dates back to 1856, which explains
its imposing Belle Epoque appearance. It is
a mountain hotel, receiving mainly British Witch of Belalp
guests, as well as the Irish alpinist and natural Since the Middle Ages, Belalp was known as
scientist John Tyndall (1820-1893). Despite the land of witches because of the legend of
the obvious modernization of the hotel, it a witch who took the form of a black raven
th
honours him with the original 19 century to wreak havoc across the region. To this
furnishings in the ‘Tyndall Room’, which is day there is a belief that the witch must be
available to guests who want to breathe in the chased back to the glacier before she causes
atmosphere of that time. more harm. She was accused of many local
misfortunes, as well as killing her husband,
John Tyndall and Belalp and was eventually burned at stake.
John Tyndall’s writings greatly helped develop This became part of local folklore, and at the
international Swiss Alpine tourism. He was beginning of each year people came here to
fascinated by the Aletsch Glacier, and he chase the witch to ensure that the coming year
studied glacier movements and climate change will be safe. Nowadays, the Belalp ski club has
on the Belalp. He was also a keen mountaineer an annual Witch Hunt, a week-long skiing
- on 19 August 1861, Tyndall, accompanied by event at the start of January. Skiers dress as
two mountain guides, was the first to conquer witches, wear masks, and participate in the
the difficult Weisshorn. A year later, he made 12km Witches’ Descent. With cries of “D’Häx
the first ascent of the southwest shoulder of isch los!” (“the witch is loose!”) they take part
the Matterhorn, now called the Pic Tyndall. in this almost Olympic descent. The Witch
The Matterhorn had until then been regarded Hexe is the biggest winter sporting event
as unclimbable. in Valais canton, with an official ceremony
and presentation of awards. This year it was
However, it was Belalp that captivated Tyndall, cancelled due to the pandemic, but I still
and he returned here for 44 years. Like Cassel, journeyed there at New Year, to chase the
he wanted something more than the local Belalp witch down to the glacier and ensure
hotel, so he decided to build a chalet with a nothing bad would happen this year. Whether
view of the Aletsch Glacier. Belalp became I was successful, it is up to you to judge.
his mental and spiritual home, his small
Alpine university from where he could study And the Pope in all this?
the glacier. The chalet, now called now Villa The people of the devoutly Catholic Fiesch and
Tyndall, is one of the highest mountain villas Fieschertal villages have made an the annual
in the Alps. It is at the height of Belalp and can pilgrimage here since 1676, when Europe
just about be seen from Brig. After his death, was in the grip of the Little Ice Age. Looming
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over the villages, the two largest glaciers in
the Alps—the Aletsch and Fiescher—grew
over the next two centuries, reaching their
maximum lengths around 1850. The most
dangerous area was near Lake Marjelen, the
lowest point. When the lake overflowed, three
hundred and fifty-three million cubic feet (10
million cubic metres) of water inundated the
valley below, damaging property and killing
people.
“This will not work without sacrifice,
but it means we will preserve the
wonders of our world for our children
Several times the local citizens had to rebuild
from scratch. The villagers of Fiesch and and grandchildren.”.
Fieschertal in canton Valais offered prayers
against the advancing Aletsch glacier that
threatened their homes. They tried to stop great danger. Alps and pastures vanish, and
the glacier with crosses, some of which can towns die out.”
still be seen today, and made formal vows to
live virtuously and pray against the growth Can the Pope and the reverse prayers save
of the Aletsch glacier and the flooding of the Glacier today?
Lake Märjelen. The bishop of Sion, the Pope’s Will even this be enough to tame Climate
ambassador in Bern, took their prayer to Pope Change? Researchers are predicting that by
Innocent XI for his official approval. 2050 temperatures in the Swiss Alps will rise
In addition, since 1862, the local villagers by 1.8 degrees Celsius in winter and by 2.7
have held an annual five-hour procession degrees Celsius in the summer.
to Ernerwald chapel on July 31, St Ignatius’s
feast day, to reinforce their prayers. Since that What can we do as individuals?
time the glacier has never flooded Fiesch, and Global rethinking is necessary to preserve
over 300 years it has retreated 3,5 km – 1km glaciers worldwide, and this will be discussed
since 2000. “We prayed for the ice to recede, during the upcoming meeting on Climate
and our prayer worked – too well”, say the Change in Glasgow in November 2021. This
villagers. Today, the villagers no longer worry was also discussed in Switzerland in June,
about floods, but about having less drinking and the vote decided that every person not
water, energy, and food for their animals, as only has responsibility but is deeply involved.
well as more forest fires. We must become more sustainable in our
In 2009 the local parish council petitioned consumer behaviour and habits. This will not
the Vatican to allow a change in the prayer’s work without sacrifice, but it means we will
wording. A year later the Holy See agreed, and preserve the wonders of our world for our
Pope Benedict gave his blessing for the vow to children and grandchildren. Admittedly, the
be reversed. Now, on 31 July, people in Fiesch situation looks catastrophic, but if we want
pray, “The glacier is ice, ice is water and water our glacier to survive we are ideally placed to
is life. Without the glacier, the springs run dry see and reflect upon it. Visiting the Aletsch
and brooks evaporate. Men and women face Glacier is the first step in protecting it.
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