Grächen and St.Niklaus are municipalities in the canton of Wallis, Switzerland. The villages are situated at an altitude of about 1600 meters. Picturesque footways along 400 years old water pipelines, black-burned ‘Walliserhauser’ and colorful meadows characterize these cosy mountain villages. Settlements in the area of Grächen probably date back to neolithic times. It certainly was a hunting ground for early Bronze Age alpine people. Around 750 AD, the Alamanni started to settle in the upper part of what is now the canton of Valais.In the 20th century, Grächen changed from a farming community to a popular tourist destination. In 1937, 7000 visitors spent the night there, today, some 500,000 visitors do. Grächen is situated on the Monte Rosa tour hiking trail and provides for a natural stop between Saas-Fee and Europahütte. It is also a base for many daytrip hiking trips. The whimsical bird ‘Schneevogel’ is the official mascot of the region.