Saillon
Intro
Saillon is truly striking with its beautiful hillside location, surrounded by magnificent terraced vineyards. The small town impresses with its unique medieval centre, of which the crowning glory is an old castle tower.
Located in the French-speaking part of Valais, the town lies on a hill covered with vineyards. Saillon is considered a Savoyard prototype of a fortified medieval town and experienced its heyday in the 13th century. The old centre is framed by an almost seamless row of houses and a stone wall. Both of the main streets can only be accessed by four gates, which are roughly laid out according to the four points of the compass. These streets are complemented by numerous pretty alleyways, some of which are covered or connected to one another via arched passageways.
In the middle of the 13th century, the place was fortified by the Savoyards, and the Bayart Tower was built as a keep of the former castle. Having already been burned down once by Valais troops, the castle was completely destroyed during the capture of the city by the Upper Valais in 1475 – except for the sturdy tower that sits on a hill above the rooftops and to this day characterises the skyline of Saillon.
Above Saillon, a marble quarry was established in 1875. Marble from here can now be found in places such as the Paris Opera House, the British Museum in London and the Federal Palace in Bern. Saillon was also once the hiding place of the legendary counterfeiter Joseph-Samuel Farinet.
ISOS
ISOS is the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of national importance. The inventory is maintained by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and lists the most significant settlements in Switzerland. Today, some 1,200 places are included in the inventory, from hamlets right through to cities. The inventory provides information on the development and identity of the settlements listed in it, thereby contributing to the preservation of architectural diversity in Switzerland and promoting both sustainable planning and a high-quality Baukultur.
