Reckingen – Mountain Village, Church Art and Adventure Trail

Reckingen is the oldest mountain village in the Goms Valley. Those who read a place through its landscape, paths and visible traces will find several different approaches here. Art, craftsmanship and movement stand side by side as independent focal points.

Culture and History

The church in Reckingen dates from 1743 to 1745 and is regarded as the most significant Baroque sacred building in Upper Valais. It stands on Furkastrasse, which separates the Upper Village from the Lower Village. The interior of the church is richly coloured: the plastered barrel vault is decorated with stucco and paintings, while two side altars and the high altar are located on the eastern wall of the elevated choir.

In Reckingen, visitors can see the lovingly renovated sawmill, mill, bell foundry, bakehouse and washhouse. Another detail of the village’s history can be seen at Stalen Chapel. It stands on a small larch-covered plateau at the entrance to the Blinnen Valley. Above the entrance door, a niche contains a copy of a Madonna statue by Johann Ritz; the painting on the outer wall of the choir depicts two angels carrying a cross.

In Gluringen, attention turns to the Church of the Holy Trinity. The parish of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gluringen was founded in 1920. During the restoration of the parish church of the Holy Trinity in Gluringen in 1912, Josef Heimgartner added new figural and architectural paintings. Different dates, architectural forms and furnishing details open up individual perspectives on the sacred heritage.

Nature and Paths

The Reckingen–Gluringen adventure trail is a 12.2-kilometre circular route that can also be walked in sections. Apart from the Blinnen Valley, the Reckingen–Gluringen adventure trail is open and accessible. It incorporates themes into the landscape and therefore appeals to the senses.

The total length and the option of walking only sections provide two clear points of comparison for planning an individual day. Those who wish to give different weight to culture and physical activity can consider the buildings open to visitors and the landscape trail as separate focal points.

Getting There

Regional trains operated by the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway take 1 hour and 3 minutes to travel from Brig to Reckingen. The train journey and the stated trail length represent two different time scales that can be weighed alongside each other when planning your own visit.

Winter

At the Gluringen ski lift, there is a button lift, a small drag lift or pony lift, a toboggan run and a winter hiking trail.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Reckingen, travel dates, apartment size and cancellation conditions can be considered as separate criteria. These details stand alongside the question of whether the stay should be shaped more by culture, sections of the trail or winter activities.

Other Places

Other places in the Goms Valley: Fiesch, Lax, Obergesteln, Niederwald, Münster-Geschinen, Grafschaft, Blitzingen, Fieschertal

To the higher-level travel overview: Goms Valley.