The Urchigs Terbil Museum brings together eight buildings that reflect different aspects of everyday life in the past in a Valais mountain village. On guided tours, you can explore the interiors; by the Törbelbach stream, you can see water-powered installations in operation. The history of the buildings and their technology, alongside the moors and trails of Moosalp, offer different highlights for a stay in Törbel.
Buildings, mechanics and local traditions
The Driel is a Valais wine press and the last of the four wine presses originally found in Törbel. It was built in 1864 by 28 co-owners for shared use and can be visited as part of a guided tour of Urchigs Terbil. Its history connects a specific year of construction with its former communal use.
The mill on the Törbelbach stream also tells the story of how water power was used. It is the last of the five mills originally in the area, all of which were privately operated, and is a stock mill: a horizontal wheel driven by water turns the runner stone. At the fulling mill, lengths of Drilch fabric were further processed; a waterwheel drove the camshaft, which raised the hammers used in the process. The sawmill can be seen in operation on a guided tour.
In the hamlet of Zenblatten stands Z’Chlei Stadelti, a little way from the village of Törbel. This typical Valais barn was used to thresh and store rye. Stone slabs at the upper ends of its stilts were intended to keep rodents away from the stores. In the past, roofs in Törbel were also covered with stone slabs; some holiday homes still have roofs like these today. The Ignatius Chapel is also in Zenblatten. It was built by Ignaz Seematter at the beginning of the 19th century. The figure in the altarpiece is believed to depict Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
A local tradition is baking bread before Christmas: every year, a group of young men bake bread in the bakehouse according to an old tradition. Another craft lives on in Swiss bags made from recycled army blankets. They are handmade in a small local factory run by Karlen Sattlerei und Handels GmbH.
Moors and trails on Moosalp
Above Törbel lie several fens and the exceptional Bonigersee raised bog. The moorland on Moosalp covers 1.5 km² and comprises eleven different peatland habitats. Changes in elevation also shape the landscape: the municipality stretches from 770 metres to the 2,972-metre summit of the Augstbordhorn; Moosalp lies at 2,042 metres. From Törbel, views extend in every direction across mountains, valleys and villages.
On the plateau, the Moosalp Panorama Trail offers views of the Upper Valais and twelve peaks over 4,000 metres high. The themed trail “Scenes Along the Water Trail” leads from Moosalp to Visp and explores water from its source to the Rhône. For a circular mountain bike ride, the Törbel Loop, described as easy, runs from Törbel to Moosalp and back via Alp Pletsche. Various hiking trails and ski runs are also accessible from Moosalp; a ski lift provides direct access to the Bürchen-Moosalp ski area.
Plan your journey and stay
Törbel can be reached from Visp by public transport in about 30 minutes. The Törbel–Moosalp bus route starts in Stalden, travelling first to Törbel and then on to Moosalp. This makes it possible to explore the village’s history and the plateau’s trails as different day-trip highlights. If you are looking for a hotel in Törbel, you can choose your destination based on your interests: guided tours and crafts in the village, or peatland habitats and routes on Moosalp.
Discover more destinations: Stalden, Zeneggen, Saas-Fee, Saas-Grund, Embd, Randa, Visperterminen, Gasenried
Back to the main travel overview: Visp.
