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This map offers a detailed treatment of the Valais region, located in modern-day Switzerland. Created by Gabriel Walser and published by the Homann Heirs, the map details the geography, settlements, and key features of the Valais territory. It is divided into the Upper Valais (Vallesia Superior) and Lower Valais (Vallesia Inferior), illustrating towns, monasteries, castles, churches, and major roads, along with topographical elements such as mountains and glaciers. The map also includes an explanation of symbols (Signorum Explicatio) and a scale in German miles.
Beneath the main map are a series of detailed vignettes depicting notable landmarks of the region. These include the Furka Glacier near the source of the Rhône River, the thermal baths at Leukerbad (Gemmi Pass), and the cataract of Pfynbach near Martigny. The illustrations emphasize the dramatic Alpine terrain, with towering peaks and rugged landscapes that define the region.
The fourth inset on the map depicts the Monastery of St. Bernard (Hospice du Grand-Saint-Bernard), located at the Great St. Bernard Pass, one of the highest and most important Alpine passes in Europe. This monastery, founded in the 11th century by St. Bernard of Menthon, served as a crucial refuge for travelers and pilgrims braving the treacherous conditions of the pass. The illustration showcases the monastery nestled amidst towering, jagged peaks, emphasizing the harsh and isolated terrain. Known for its association with the iconic St. Bernard rescue dogs, the hospice played a vital role in aiding those crossing the Alps.
The heraldic decorations and Latin dedication underscore the map's dual purpose as a functional tool and a piece of cartographic art celebrating the region's grandeur.
The Valais region has a rich history rooted in its strategic location in the Rhône Valley, a critical corridor through the Alps. During the Roman era, the Valais was incorporated into the province of Raetia and served as a vital route for trade and military movement. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the region became a battleground for control among various powers, including the Burgundians and Franks. By the Middle Ages, the Valais was part of the Kingdom of Burgundy before being integrated into the Holy Roman Empire.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Valais came under the influence of the Bishopric of Sion, which held significant temporal and spiritual authority. The region experienced tensions between the Bishopric and the local nobility, as well as the growing influence of the Swiss Confederation. By the 15th century, the Upper Valais aligned itself with the Confederation, defeating the Dukes of Savoy and establishing greater autonomy.
In the 16th century, the Reformation sparked religious conflict in the region, though the Valais largely remained Catholic. The region maintained a degree of independence under the leadership of the Bishop of Sion, functioning as a quasi-republic. By the late 18th century, during the upheaval of the French Revolution, the Valais was annexed by France in 1798 and became part of the Helvetic Republic. Its strategic location continued to make it a focal point in the geopolitics of the Alpine region.
Homann Heirs was a German publishing firm that enjoyed a major place in the European map market throughout the eighteenth century. Founded in 1702 by Johann Baptist Homann, the business passed to his son, Christoph, upon Johann’s death in 1724. Christoph died in 1730, aged only 27, and the firm was inherited by subsequent Homann heirs. This altered the name of the company, which was known as Homann Erben, or Homann heirs. The firm continued in business until 1848.
Gabriel Walser he began his theology studies in Basel in 1712, and, after study visits in Marburg, Tübingen, Jena, and Halle, he completed his examination there in 1717. He became a member of the Appenzell Synod. In 1718, he married Maria Elisabeth Zollikofer, who hailed from a noble St. Gallen family and was the daughter of Ruprecht Zollikofer. In 1721, he was elected as the pastor of Speicher, where he served from 1721 to 1745. In the land trade, he took the side of the defeated Lindens and was thus fined in 1732. In 1745, he took up the pastoral position in Berneck, which he held until his death.
In addition to his duties as a pastor, Gabriel Walser wrote the "Old and New Appenzeller Writing Calendar" for the years 1738 to 1745, a collection with easy-to-understand scientific, historical, and narrative content.
His main work was the "Neue Appenzeller-Chronick or Description of the Canton of Appenzell of the Inner and Outer Rooden", self-published in 1740. This history of the Canton since Roman times also included geographic descriptions, including a map of Appenzell. It contained an appendix with various documents from the years 1378 to 1667 and an official directory. Walser's chronicle is considered an extension and continuation of the Appenzell Chronicle of the pastor Bartholomäus Bischofberger from Trogen, which goes up to the year 1682. The more valuable, regional part of the chronicle is based on his observations. The historical part connects to Bartholomäus Bischofberger's work and supplements it up to 1732. His continuation for the years 1732 to 1772 was only published in 1829.
For the Augsburg publisher Matthaeus Seutter, Walser created maps of the cantons Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Glarus, and Appenzell as well as Graubünden, after numerous trips through eastern and central Switzerland. For the "Atlas Novus Reipublicae Helveticae", published in Nuremberg in 1769, he created,15 maps covering 18 cantons covering the 18 cantons of the Old Confederacy (excluding Schaffhausen) and the territories of St. Gallen, Graubünden, and Wallis, based on maps by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Hans Konrad Gyger, and others,from 1763 to 1768. Walser did not carry out any surveys for this. However, his maps represent a slight qualitative improvement compared to Scheuchzer's maps. In 1770, Walser's "Swiss Geography with the Sights in the Alps and High Mountains" was published in Zurich. This is an explanation of the atlas.
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