Gspon is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

, located in the canton of

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

. The village is situated in the eastern part of the canton in the

Saastal The Saastal or the Saas Valley is an alpine valley in the district of Visp, in the eastern part of the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the valley of the river Saaser Vispa. It is separated from the Mattertal to the west by the Mischabel ...

valley above

Staldenried Staldenried is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Staldenried is first mentioned in 1389 as ''am ryede''. In 1638 it was ...

at a height of . It belongs to the latter municipality. Gspon has a population of 585. Accessible by cable car from

Stalden Stalden () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies at the foot of the Mischabelhörner and Dom (). History Stalden is first mentioned in 1213 as ''Morgi''. In 1224 it was mentioned as ''Stald ...

via Staldenried, Gspon is a car-free village and a popular year-round tourist destination. In winter Gspon's small ski area is kept open.

Attractions

The village, characterised by its large green valleys and hills, is located in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and is popular with hikers. Cable cars link to other locations above and under Gspon from the village itself. The altitude of Gspon's

football pitch A football pitch or soccer field is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is ty ...

is the highest in Europe at almost above sea level.

Highlights and facts

Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena with Mountain View

*Highest still operating irrigation channels in Switzerland. *Highest football stadium in Europe, the Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium. *Hiking and climbing routes for all ability levels. *Snowshoe trekking in winter. *St. Anna Chapel, built in 1691.

General information

Source: At an altitude of , the traffic-free village of Gspon is a starting point for hikes. With no road into the village, access is only by cableway from Stalden via Staldenried. The village is the location of the St. Anna Chapel, built in 1691. The highest irrigation channels that are still in operation are located here, while two ski lifts are open during the winter for downhill skiers. The landscape can also be explored on snowshoes during winter. The Bischofwäg, leading from Staldenried through pine forest and the Breiterbach Gorge to Visperterminen, was the path along which the

bishop of Sion The Diocese of Sion (, , ) is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The history of the Bishops of Sion, of the Abbey of ...

travelled.

Visperterminen Visperterminen (Walser German: ''Tärbinu'') is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Visperterminen is first mentioned in th ...

has the highest vineyard in Europe on a sheltered slope at an altitude of . A viniculture theme path starts at

Visp railway station Visp railway station is a junction station at Visp ( French: ''Viège''), in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a modern station building completed in 2007, and is served by two standard gauge lines and a metre gauge line. Visp station is ...

. The Suonen hiking trail circuit to Finileri runs through forests and alpine pastures and alongside the historic irrigation channels. A more challenging trail leads from Gspon via the Gebidum and Bistinen Passes to the

Simplon Pass The Simplon Pass (; ; ; ; ; ) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig, Switzerland, Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villag ...

References

Swisstopo Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Switzerland's national mapping agency. The current name was made official in 2002. It had been used as the domain name for the homepage of the instituteswisstopo.admi ...

topographic maps
mySwitzerland.com
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External links

Gspon on Wanderland.ch
{{authority control Villages in Valais Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Car-free villages in Switzerland