Maxenhaus

Raron is a village in the Upper Valais, on the sunny northern slope of the Rhône valley a few kilometres west of Visp, and it is best known for its church on a rock and its poet's grave. The Burgkirche, a fortified church built on a rocky outcrop above the village, is reached by a covered stair and offers a view down the valley, and in its graveyard lies Rainer Maria Rilke, the German-language poet who spent his last years in the Valais and died in 1926. Visitors come to see the grave and the church, and the old village around it, with its dark wooden houses and narrow lanes, is a pleasant place to wander. The Maxenhaus is one of the historic houses of Raron, and it belongs to this setting.

The building's exact date and history are not well recorded, so it is better to describe the type of house than to guess at specifics. The Upper Valais has a distinctive building tradition. Houses are typically built with a stone base for the cellar and ground floor, and wooden upper storeys made of larch logs that darken in the sun to a deep brown, almost black, with the date and the owners' initials carved into a beam above the door. Small windows, carved eaves and balconies are typical, and the wood is seasoned and cut so well that houses several centuries old remain in good condition. In the villages, such houses stand close together along narrow lanes, often with granaries and storehouses raised on stone pegs topped with flat slabs, which keep mice from reaching the grain.

The style of these houses reflects life in the mountains, where timber was plentiful and the climate dry and sunny on the valley's northern side, and where families built to last. Raron and the neighbouring villages have a number of such buildings, some of them private homes that are not open to visitors, and the Maxenhaus is best seen from the outside as part of the streetscape. Visitors should respect the privacy of residents and avoid entering without permission.

Raron offers several other things to see within a short walk. The Burgkirche and Rilke's grave are the main sights, and the Jolischlucht, a gorge with a suspended footbridge, and the Bietschtal Bridge Adventure Course add outdoor activities. The Rhône valley around Raron is also a good area for walking, with paths along the old irrigation channels, called bisses, that carry water along the hillsides, and with vineyards and orchards on the slopes. Local restaurants offer Valais dishes such as raclette, cheese fondue and dried meat, and the wines of the region, such as Fendant and Pinot Noir, are worth trying.

Trains from Brig and Visp stop at Raron, and the village is a short walk from the station. A visit takes about an hour for the church, grave and streets. The village suits walkers, history lovers and admirers of Rilke, and it is a quiet alternative to the larger resorts nearby. Wear comfortable shoes, since lanes and the stair to the church are steep.