Leukerbad

Leukerbad is the largest thermal spa resort in the Alps, with 65 thermal springs delivering over 3.9 million litres of water per day at temperatures up to 51 degrees Celsius. The water begins as precipitation at 2,300-3,000 metres altitude, seeps underground through porous limestone, descends to approximately 500 metres below sea level, is heated by geothermal energy and enriched with calcium and sulphate, then rises back to the surface — a journey of over 40 years.

The Gemmi Pass (2,346 m) links Leukerbad in the Valais with Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. The southern descent drops nearly 900 metres down the sheer Gemmiwand — a vertical rock wall approximately 550 metres high. In 1739-1741, Tyrolean workmen carved the current mule path into the cliff face in extraordinary zigzags. Mark Twain crossed the pass in 1878, noting 'the mule prefers the outside' — forcing walkers to press against the cliff wall.

James Baldwin, the African-American novelist, first came to Leukerbad in 1951 at age 27, brought by his partner, Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger. Baldwin spent the winters of 1951-1952 and 1952-1953 in near-total isolation, completing his first novel Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953). He was the first Black person many villagers had ever seen. He channelled these experiences into the landmark essay 'Stranger in the Village,' published in Harper's Magazine in October 1953. In 2018, Swiss-Haitian artist Sasha Huber installed a portrait of Baldwin made of metal staples on his former chalet.

Mark Twain crossed the Gemmi Pass in the summer of 1878, describing the descent as 'the most remarkable road I have ever seen' with 'corkscrew curves down the face of the colossal precipice.' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had visited Leukerbad in 1779, Pablo Picasso crossed the Gemmi in 1933 and signed the Schwarenbach guest books, and Guy de Maupassant visited the Schwarenbach Inn in 1877, later writing the chilling story 'The Inn' (L'Auberge, 1886).

Matthaeus Schiner (c. 1465-1522), born to peasant parents in Upper Valais, rose to become Bishop of Sion in 1499 and Cardinal in 1511. In 1501, he acquired the rights to the hot springs in Leukerbad, invested in the baths, and had a magnificent inn built — marking the beginning of modern spa tourism. His career was extraordinary: he served as Papal Minister of War, directed Swiss mercenary forces in the Italian Wars, and nearly became Pope before French cardinals blocked his candidacy. He died of plague in Rome in 1522.

Leukerbad's position beneath towering cliffs has made it vulnerable to avalanches for centuries. In 1518, an avalanche killed 61 people. On 17 January 1718, a massive avalanche destroyed every house in the village, killing 52 people. Between 1829 and 1831, the Werimauer was constructed — considered Switzerland's first avalanche wall, a massive stone barrier to deflect flows. The village's repeated destruction and rebuilding is a testament to the stubbornness of the Valaisan people and the irresistible draw of the thermal springs.

Guy de Maupassant visited the Schwarenbach Inn on the Gemmi in 1877 and later wrote the chilling short story 'The Inn' (L'Auberge, 1886) — a tale of two guides driven mad by isolation and snow. Mark Twain described the inn as 'on a lonely spot among the peaks, swept by the cloud rack.' Pablo Picasso crossed the Gemmi in 1933 and signed the Schwarenbach guest books. The inn sits high on the pass near the dark waters of the Daubensee.

The Dalaschlucht (Dala Gorge) begins less than one kilometre from the village square — a narrow, moss-covered canyon carved by the Dala River. The Thermal Springs Footbridge spans approximately 600 metres through the gorge, where thermal water seeps from cracks, leaving rust-brown streaks from the iron content. A 21-metre bridge crosses to a 35-metre-high waterfall. The gorge is where the underground thermal waters first become visible — where the 40-year journey of the water can be witnessed at the surface.