Saanen

Saanen lies in an Alpine valley crossed by mule trails towards Vaud and the Valais. First recorded in 1228 as Gissinay, it belonged to the county of Gruyère. The counts' financial difficulties allowed the inhabitants to buy some of their rights in the fourteenth century. Saanen became a market centre for the surrounding farming communities, whose livelihoods included seasonal mountain grazing, forestry and services for travellers crossing the passes.

The valley concluded agreements with its neighbours and made its own alliance with Bern in 1403. Its soldiers fought under their own banner in Bernese campaigns, though disputes over taxes and military losses later set Saanen against Bern. In 1555 the last count of Gruyère lost the district through bankruptcy; Bern took over the valley and introduced the Reformation the following year. A great fire destroyed much of Saanen in 1575, prompting the Bernese bailiff to move his residence elsewhere.