Fiesch

Geschichte

Fiesch is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Nearby Fiescheralp is administered by Fiesch and is accessible by the Eggishorn lift.It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its view of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area.HistoryFiesch is first mentioned in 1203 as "Vios". In 1438 it is recorded as "Viesch", and has been known as Fiesch since 1905.The Fiesch derailment occurred in 2010.GeographyFiesch has an area, of 11.3km2. Of this area, 32.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 40.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and 20.4% is unproductive land.The municipality is located in a small valley and on the slopes above both sides of the Weisswasser.Coat of armsThe blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure, a fess wavy Argent in base Coupeaux of the same.DemographicsFiesch has a population of., 17.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -4.5%. It has changed at a rate of -2% due to migration and at a rate of -2% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks German (872 or 87.6%) as their first language, Serbo-Croatian is the second most common (87 or 8.7%) and Albanian is the third (13 or 1.3%). There are 7 people who speak French, 1 person who speaks Italian.