The Mills of St. Luc and Switzerland’s Industrial Past

1 July 2025

The industrial revolution, commercial networks, the textile industry, financial services, watchmaking, machine construction, the food sector, publishing and printing companies, and other sectors have characterised Switzerland for centuries.

Even in today’s small villages, there is sometimes a small industrial park. An example is St. Luc (canton of Valais). St. Luc is located at an altitude of 1,655 meters in the Val d’Anniviers, the valley of the ‘Imperial Crown,’ which encompasses the five mountains over 4,000 meters (Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Ober Gabelhorn, and Dent-Blanche). Even the Matterhorn is sometimes visible. 

The village today has only 300 permanent residents (but 6,000 tourists in the winter season), but at the beginning of the 19th century, it was larger than Sierre (Siders)!

The village then had no fewer than seven mills in operation. Two mills have disappeared over time, but the remaining five mills have been renovated and are now open to the public as an open-air museum, accessible to visitors at specific times.

Maison du meunier (house of the miller)

Most of the inhabitants of St. Luc owned a meadow or a small agricultural plot, along with a small house in Sierre. They cultivated rye, wheat, barley, corn, and potatoes.

After the harvest, they transported the products with mules to the corn mill (corn mill), two mills for rye and wheat (rye and wheat mills), and a mill for barley and a nut press (barley mill and nut press) in St. Luc. Additionally, a cloth mill was still in operation. The miller lived in the miller’s house.

La maison bourgeoisiale de St. Luc

The village’s Maison Bourgeoisiale (town hall) still displays the artisanal way of baking bread, including an annual festival. At the time, all residents were involved in preparing food in this remote mountain area.

Windmills are practically unknown in Switzerland. The mills, on the other hand, are powered by hydraulic force. The turbulent Torrent des Moulins ensured, through a system as ingenious as it was simple, of canals, let’s say a kind of Bisses (Suonen in German), the water supply to turn the mill wheel.

De Torrent des Moulins

This system has been in use for centuries throughout all the cantons of Switzerland. In the 20th century, however, electricity took over. During the annual national day of Swiss mills and in many other places (cities and villages), this national heritage is still visible. But such a large concentration of mills as in St. Luc is exceptional at an altitude of 1,655 meters.

(Source and further information: Commune d’Anniviers)

Maison du meunier