Täsch, A Portuguese Enclave In The Heart Of Postcard Switzerland

2025-09-13 02:12:03

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A stone's throw from the upscale resort of Zermatt, the small village of Täsch in canton Valais has the highest proportion of foreigners in Switzerland. And for some years now, the Portuguese community has outnumbered locals. This has had a strong impact on the village. This content was published on September 13, 2025 - 11:00 7 minutes

I write original and in-depth data-driven articles using my skills in data analysis and visualisation. I cover a wide array of topics, among which are Switzerland's place in global trade, climate change and demographics. Born and raised in France, I studied international relations in Lyon, then graduated from Lille journalism school in 2011. I have been living in Switzerland since 2012 and worked at RTS for eight years before joining SWI swissinfo in 2020.

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Deutsch de Täsch, portugiesische Enklave im Herzen der Postkarten-Schweiz Read more: Täsch, portugiesische Enklave im Herzen der Postkarten-Schwei
Français fr Täsch, enclave portugaise au cœur de la Suisse des cartes postales Original Read more: Täsch, enclave portugaise au cœur de la Suisse des cartes postale
Italiano it Täsch, enclave portoghese nel cuore della Svizzera da cartolina Read more: Täsch, enclave portoghese nel cuore della Svizzera da cartolin
Português pt Portugueses já superam suíços na população de Täsch Read more: Portugueses já superam suíços na população de Täsc
العربية ar تاش... قرية برتغالية في قلب الجبال السويسرية Read more: تاش... قرية برتغالية في قلب الجبال السويسري
Русский ru Швейцарская деревня, где иностранцы стали большинством Read more: Швейцарская деревня, где иностранцы стали большинство

At first glance, few places are more quintessentially Swiss than Täsch, with its traditional wooden chalets, hiking trails and proximity to the Matterhorn – a mountain so iconic that it long featured on the packaging of Toblerone chocolate bars . The small Valais villageExternal link , nestled in a valley over 1,400 metres above sea level, is known as the main gateway to the Swiss tourist hotspot of Zermatt.

In other words, when travellers arrive in Täsch, they step into picture-postcard Switzerland. Yet this is perhaps one of the places where one is least likely to encounter native speakers of Wallisertitsch, the local Swiss-German dialect.

Indeed, the village has the highest proportion of foreign residents in the country. Of the 1,366 people living there year-round in 2023, a whopping 848 – that is 62% – were not Swiss, according to the Federal Statistical OfficeExternal link . Overall, nearly 40 nationalities have settled there.

In a country where foreigners make up over a quarter of the population , it is hardly surprising that some places have a high percentage of non-nationals. However, there are only a handful of municipalities which – like Täsch – have more non-Swiss residents than Swiss.

External Content

But what makes Täsch truly stand out is the fact that the largest population group is foreign. For several years, Portuguese nationals have outnumbered Swiss (41% and 38% of the village's population respectively).

More than 255,000 Portuguese live in Switzerland, making them the third most represented foreign nationality in the country. Canton Valais, especially the Zermatt valley, has proven to be a particular draw for them.

External Content Foreign workers keep Zermatt ticking

The reason for this is precisely Zermatt's strong appeal. The third most visited municipality in Switzerland, it welcomes tourists from all over the world. A total of 1.6 million overnight hotel staysExternal link were recorded in 2024, spread across the year.

Keeping a tourist machine of this size ticking over requires considerable manpower, most of which is foreign – and mainly Portuguese. In Zermatt, hundreds of immigrants work behind the scenes, for low wages, in the hotel and catering sector (as illustrated by this recent photo projectExternal link ), in maintenance and services of all kinds.

Zermatt itself has a large foreign population. But the lack of affordable housing in the resort and the fact that it is difficult to reach (cars are banned in the village) mean that many who work there prefer to live in neighbouring settlements – such as Täsch, but also Randa and Saas-Fee.

Tourists use the Täsch-Zermatt shuttle trains at the Matterhorn Terminal in Täsch (archive photo). Keystone / Olivier Maire Economic crisis spurred Portuguese immigration

Portuguese immigrants have been present in the Zermatt area since the 1980s, when large numbers of mainly unskilled workers travelled to the Alpine tourist areas in search of jobs.

In the early 2000s, the entry into force of the free movement of people accord boosted immigration to Switzerland by nationals from across the European Union, by allowing them to settle permanently and bring their families.

The economic crisis of the 2010s, which particularly affected the countries of southern Europe – and not least Portugal – bucked this trend. Now that the economic situation in Portugal has improved, growth of the Portuguese population in Täsch has stabilised.

External Content Culture clash

At the height of the crisis in 2012, when the flow of Portuguese immigrants to Täsch was surging, Swissinfo was one of the first media outlets to report on the culture clash that this created – both for the small village in the Upper Valais and for the newcomers.

Several international media, including the BBCExternal link and the Portuguese newspaper PúblicoExternal link , also turned their attention to this Portuguese enclave at the foot of the Matterhorn, where bacalhau and pastéis de nata are sold at the grocery store, and where Mass is also held in Portuguese.

“We Portuguese can be very loud,” the representative of the village's Portuguese-speaking community humorously told the BBC.“The locals go to bed at 9pm, even 8:30pm, and they don't really appreciate it if we are up making noise until 10pm. So that's something we have to adapt to.”

Meanwhile, a local politician in Täsch told Swissinfo that relations with the Portuguese were good. The main problems, he said, were their poor level of German and limited participation in communal affairs. Their level of integration was nonetheless improving, he noted.“[The Portuguese] are investing here, buying real estate and setting up small businesses. They are showing that they are here to stay,” he said.

More More Culture Foreigners outnumber Swiss in mountain village

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 Coexistence is not always easy. But integration measures introduced by the local authorities and the migrants themselves show that a harmonious balance is possible. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world travel to Zermatt to see the iconic snow-capped pyramid, the Matterhorn mountain. A curious visitor generally does not take long...

Read more: Foreigners outnumber Swiss in mountain villag

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