The rye terraces of Zälg give Erschmatt a special connection to Valais’s cultural history: here, agriculture, historic village buildings and paths into the mountain landscape come together. When planning your trip, it is worth looking at the different options: discover the village’s rye-growing tradition, choose an activity available on request, or plan a hike with details on distance and duration.
Rye Landscape and Variety Garden
Northeast of the village, the terraced fields of Zälg form an impressive cultural landscape. At elevations of 1,100 to 1,600 metres above sea level, people from Erschmatt and Bratsch grew rye for their own needs. The Erlebniswelt Roggen Erschmatt association, together with Pro Natura Valais, restored eleven terraces to cultivation and planted them with winter rye. This created a habitat for many plants and animals that have become rare.
The Erschmatt Variety Garden is home to traditional Valais crops that are now rarely cultivated. It also cares for rare arable wildflowers adapted to sunny, dry grain fields. From June to August, a free guided tour is offered on the first Saturday of each month; check the dates before your trip.
Architecture and Village History
The old part of the village is home to the Hohe Spycher, also known as «Heju Spiichär». This distinctive log building dates from 1628. Its barn supports and mouse-proof ledges rest on natural stone pillars about three metres high. Following a renovation carried out in keeping with professional and stylistic standards, the buildings are now available to the Erlebniswelt Roggen association for educational and cultural activities.
The parish church of St Michael provides a different architectural accent. Its white walls and helmet tower stand out against the dark wooden houses, which face almost entirely south. The church was built between 1710 and 1713; its patron saint is the Archangel Michael. The Baroque high altar and pulpit were consecrated in 1777, while the two side altars took their current form in 1840 and 1882. The upper of the two galleries is for the organ and choir, and the lower one for churchgoers. The current organ was built in 1984 by J. H. FĂĽglister of Grimisuat.
The Burgerhaus also keeps the local baking tradition alive. It has an old bakehouse and a communal oven with room for around 150 rye loaves. Traditional baking has continued there for over 400 years. The Heliodome, meanwhile, is a private home and holiday house whose shape follows the sun’s path throughout the day and year. You can discuss questions and possible visits with its owners, Gabriela and Herbert Lötscher.
Bread, Stories and Encounters
At the Roggenatelier, you can follow the journey from grain to bread in a hands-on way: visitors thresh and winnow grain, grind kernels, watch a film about breadmaking, break bread and taste rye products. The Roggenatelier is available year-round on request; check the arrangements before your trip.
«Bread & Fire» combines a visit to places in the village associated with making Valais rye bread with kneading and shaping sourdough rye bread together in the old bakehouse. Valais legends are also part of the experience, and you can take home the bread you shaped. This activity is available on request; confirm current availability in advance.
At the baking experience, you make your own bread, knead and shape the dough, and bake it in a wood-fired oven. The programme also includes a village walk, threshing in the historic barn and short films in the Hohe Spycher. This experience is also available year-round on request. Each activity offers a different focus, from hands-on insights into rye and grain to baking bread together and hearing stories from Valais.
Hikes and Routes
The Leuker Sonnenberge hiking route passes through Engersch to Erschmatt, crosses the village and goes by a variety garden belonging to the Erschmatt Rye Centre in the Undri Zälg area. The full hike is listed as 11.64 kilometres and three hours and 20 minutes, and is rated easy. It starts at the Jeizinen gondola lift’s mountain station at an elevation of 1,520 metres and ends at Leuk railway station at 623 metres. Duration and trail conditions may vary; check the route and public transport services before setting off.
The Hügostein lies on the Erschmatt–Jeizinen hiking trail. From a bench, you can enjoy panoramic views of the village, the Weisshorn and the Rhône Valley. This erratic boulder was left in Erschmatt when the Rhône Glacier retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. For a longer outing, consider Pferdetrekking Wallis: the day trip starts and ends in Erschmatt and follows old mule tracks into the mountain landscape. The two-day tour also starts there and includes an overnight stay in an old alpine hut. Both activities are seasonal; check availability before your trip.
Nearby, the Steinkännel in Bruu is a more than 200-metre-long irrigation channel associated with watering the meadows of Erschmatt and considered a cultural monument. It can only be reached on foot: via a herder’s path from Obere Feselalp or, for experienced hikers, via Geisstrittji from Bachalpe. Also nearby, the Hohe Brücke, also called the Devil’s Bridge, spans the Feschelbach between Erschmatt and Leuk; it dates from the 16th century.
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