Saas-Balen

Saas-Balen 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

Saas-Balen is first mentioned in 1304 as baln.

Geography

Saas-Balen has an area, as of 2011, of 30.2 square kilometers (11.7 sq mi). Of this area, 10.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 65.4% is unproductive land.

The municipality is located in the Visp district. It has the smallest area of any municipality in the Saas valley. It consists of the village of Saas-Balen and the hamlets of Niedergut (Ausser-Balen), Bidermatten and a part of Tamatten (Inner-Balen) as well as 25 small, alpine settlements.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure, on Ground Vert a path Argent embowed passing into a cave entrance Sable of a Cliff Argent.

Demographics

Saas-Balen has a population (as of December 2014) of 367.As of 2008, 6.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of -4.6%. It has changed at a rate of 0.2% due to migration and at a rate of -2.7% due to births and deaths.