Betten

Geschichte

Betten is a former municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Betten and Martisberg merged into the new municipality of Bettmeralp.HistoryBetten is first mentioned in 1243 as Bettan.GeographyBefore the merger, Betten had a total area of 26.4km2. Of this area, 15.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 70.8% is unproductive land.The former municipality is located in the Östlich-Raron district, on a south facing terrace at an elevation of 1200m. It consists of the main village of Betten, the village of Egga and the Bettmeralp alpine settlement at an elevation of 1900m.Coat of armsThe blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Tierced per mantle, Or a Fish sautant Azure above a base wavy Azure, in dexter Gules issuant from a base invected a Tree Vert trunked Proper, in sinister Azure issuant from a base invected a Chapel Argent roofed, doored and windowed Sable.DemographicsBetten had a population of 420., 7.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has changed at a rate of -11.6%. It has changed at a rate of -16.6% due to migration and at a rate of -2% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks German as their first language, Serbo-Croatian is the second most common and French is the third . There is 1 person who speaks Italian.