Saas-Fee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saas-Fee
Coat of arms
Saas-Fee Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Saas-Fee Location in Canton of Valais Show map of Canton of Valais
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Valais
District	Visp
Area
• Total	40.31 km2 (15.56 sq mi)
Elevation	1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	1,559
• Density	38.675/km2 (100.17/sq mi)
Postal code	3906
Surrounded by	Randa, Saas-Almagell, Saas-Balen, Saas-Grund, Sankt Niklaus, Täsch
Twin towns	Steamboat Springs (USA), Rocca di Cambio (Italy)

Saas-Fee is a beautiful village in the Saas Valley, located in the Valais region of Switzerland. It sits high up in the mountains at 1,800 meters (about 5,900 feet) above sea level. This special village is surrounded by 13 tall mountain peaks, each over 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) high! This makes Saas-Fee known as the Pearl of the Alps.

Saas-Fee is famous for being a car-free village. This means you won't see many cars driving around. Instead, small electric vehicles help people get around. This helps keep the air clean and the village peaceful. Nearby villages include Saas-Almagell, Saas-Grund, and Saas-Balen.

Discover Saas-Fee

Traditional granaries in Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee from the ski slopes

Saas-Fee is a fantastic place for winter sports. Because it's close to big glaciers like the Dom and the Allalinhorn, you can enjoy skiing and snowboarding almost all year! In summer, mountains like the Weissmies and Nadelhorn are popular for climbing.

The village is a top spot for winter fun in the Swiss Alps. You can go skiing, snowboarding, or try snowshoe trekking. For those who like adventure, there's even canyon climbing and ice climbing!

Saas-Fee has 22 lifts to take you up the mountains. These include cable cars, gondolas, and a special underground train called the Metro Alpin. The ski runs go down 1,800 meters (5,906 feet) from a top height of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). There are about 150 kilometers (93 miles) of ski runs for all skill levels. You can also try paragliding, hang gliding, or tobogganing.

To get to Saas-Fee, you can take a car or a bus. Postal buses run often from Brig and Visp. Remember, cars are not allowed in the village center. You'll park your car outside, and then use electric vehicles to move around. This rule was made in 1951 to keep the air clean.

The resort offers many fun things to do besides sports. There are classical music events, a sports center, restaurants, and nightclubs. Saas-Fee is home to the world's highest underground funicular railway. It also has the highest revolving restaurant in the world, at 3,500 meters (11,483 feet)! The village's slogan, "Die Perle der Alpen" (The Pearl of the Alps), truly fits because of the 13 tall peaks surrounding it.

A Look Back in Time

Aerial view of Saas-Fee in 1964

Saas-Fee was first mentioned in history in the year 1304. Back then, it was called vee. For a while, it was also known by its French name, Fée, but that name is not used anymore.

Geography of Saas-Fee

Panorama showing parts of the Feeglacier, the Alphubel, Täschhorn, Dom and Lenzspitze on the left, and Saas-Fee and Saas-Grund at the bottom middle

Saas-Fee covers an area of about 40.6 square kilometers (15.7 square miles). Most of this land, about 83.6%, is made up of mountains and glaciers, which are not used for farming or building. About 9.5% is covered by forests.

The village is located in the Visp district, right at the base of the mighty Dom Mountain. As mentioned, Saas-Fee is special because it's surrounded by thirteen "Four-thousander" mountains. These are mountains that are at least 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) high above sea level.

Village Symbol

The official symbol, or coat of arms, of Saas-Fee shows the letters "SSF" in gold. These letters stand for Saas-Fee. They are placed between two six-pointed stars on a blue background, with green hills at the bottom.

People of Saas-Fee

A street in Saas-Fee

The City Museum of Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee has a population of about 1,607 people. Many people who live here were born in Saas-Fee or elsewhere in Switzerland. About 28.5% of the people living in Saas-Fee are from other countries.

Most people in Saas-Fee speak German as their main language. The German spoken here is a special dialect called Walser German. It can be a bit different from standard German. Some people also speak Serbo-Croatian or Portuguese.

In Saas-Fee, about 23.6% of the population are children and teenagers (under 19 years old). Adults (20-64 years old) make up 64.6%, and seniors (over 64 years old) are 11.8%.

Here's how the population of Saas-Fee has grown over the years:

Economy and Jobs

An electric vehicle on Obere Dorfstraße, the main street in Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee has a low unemployment rate, which means most people who want to work can find jobs. Many jobs in Saas-Fee are in the tourism industry, like hotels, restaurants, and shops. There are also jobs in construction and other services.

Because Saas-Fee is a popular tourist spot, many people come to work in the village from other places. This means more workers come into Saas-Fee each day than leave it for work.

Religion

Most people in Saas-Fee are Roman Catholic. A smaller number belong to the Swiss Reformed Church or other Christian churches. There are also people of other faiths, like Islam, and some who do not belong to any church.

Education

In Saas-Fee, many adults have finished high school. Some have also gone on to higher education, like university.

The local school system offers kindergarten for young children. After that, students attend six years of primary school right in Saas-Fee. For middle and high school, students from Saas-Fee go to schools in a nearby town.

Saas-Fee is also home to the European Graduate School (EGS). This is a special school for students who have already finished university. Famous thinkers and artists have taught there, making it a unique place for learning.

Famous Mountains

Saas-Fee is surrounded by many impressive mountains. Here are some of the most well-known peaks and when they were first climbed:

Famous People

Several notable people have connections to Saas-Fee:

• Arnold Andenmatten (1922–2018), a skier.
• Alexander Burgener (1845–1910), a famous mountain guide.
• Claire Denis (born 1946), a French filmmaker who lives in Saas-Fee.
• Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977), a German writer buried in Saas-Fee.
• Matthias Zurbriggen (1856–1917), a well-known alpinist (mountain climber).
• Frederik Kalbermatten (born 1981), a professional snowboarder.

See also

In Spanish: Saas-Fee para niños